


Resolution

by SlytherinsDragon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 09:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 107,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10001006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinsDragon/pseuds/SlytherinsDragon
Summary: In 2013, Harry and Blaise travel to the past (GoF) against their will. They try their best to fix mistakes from the past in order to have a better future. However, it is not as simple as it seems. Time travel fic! Posted originally on FF.net.





	1. When and Where

**Author's Note:**

> Time Travel Story!
> 
> Premise: Harry and Blaise, in their thirties, are at the low points of their lives. After their Auror shifts on New Year's Eve, the pair find themselves drinking their woes away, and somehow end up back in fourth year. They are given the unique opportunity to redo the past with the hopes of a better future for themselves.
> 
> Will feature wiser/powerful through hard work/experienced Harry, Death Eater buttkicking, redemption, a dash of romance, humor, and really, everything you'd expect in a general fic.
> 
> NO SLASH! (not in this one, sorry)

A man in the black robes of an Auror walked on the streets of Hogsmeade, his hands clenched into fists in the pockets of his robes. It was a harsh and windy New Year's Eve night, but the man was too deep in thought to bother with warming or wind-blocking Charms or the festive connotation of the date.

Somehow, he wandered into the Three Broomsticks, and found himself sitting down at an empty seat at the bar, sitting amongst a sea of rowdy and partying wizards and witches who were eagerly awaiting midnight. He remembered asking for a shot of the strongest Firewhiskey, his fingers which were trembling from the cold automatically picked up the glass and he gulped a mouthful, the fiery liquid burning down his throat.

His life was in bloody shambles.

Sure, well-respected Auror, on track to becoming Department Head within a few years, receiver of the Order of Merlin, First Class for the eradication of the Wizarding World's biggest nuisance, and a well-known Spells inventor whose contributions have popped up here and there in various textbooks.

But the dreams... increasing in vividness with each year gone by. Flashes of green light, maniacal laughter and the faces of the Dead, starting from Cedric Diggory and ending with those killed by the remainder of Voldemort's minions after his final Fall.

Therapy had been of no use, and Ginny had broken up with him because he was unable to move on.

Move on from the bloody past.

Dreamless Sleep Potion had turned out to be his best friend...

And his worst enemy.

It suppressed his dreams, but it was addictive as hell with physiological consequences he had no wish to contemplate.

He lifted the glass to his lips again, and felt the cold burn.

"Merlin, Harry, why the hell are you drinking alone on New Years?"

Harry slowly turned around to face the speaker.

It was Blaise Zabini, one of the Department of Law Enforcement's newer recruits. It had been a shock, Harry reflected, when he saw Blaise's name on the list of applicants.

That had been three years ago.

"May I sit?" Blaise gestured to the empty stool beside Harry.

"I can't stop you." Harry waved to the bartender, indicating that another glass was needed.

The bartender, a petite blonde, decanted the alcohol and set it in front of Blaise before scurrying away.

"You really shouldn't be drinking in your Auror gear." Blaise looked disapprovingly at his senior.

"And you?" Harry pointedly gazed at Blaise's choice of costume.

Blaise emptied some of the Firewhiskey, before replying back. "Touché."

"So, what brings you here?" Harry stared at his glass, rather than the darker man sitting beside him.

Blaise laughed bitterly, "You know me. I have nothing to go home to. My mother's off somewhere with another rich bloke, my wife... dead."

"Is that the reason you became an Auror? I've always wanted to ask."

"Partly..." Blaise looked thoughtful, "They never caught the murderer, but my money is currently on Rookwood."

"Ah." Harry remembered the round-up of DE after Tom's demise. Not all were accounted for, and several were still at large, or living quiet lives in another country under aliases.

"He wanted revenge from all the purebloods that chose to remain neutral..." Blaise said, taking a larger drink. "Merlin, now I really need to get smashed."

After going through one drink, Harry immediately ordered a second for both himself and Blaise.

"So, you never answered my initial question." Blaise remembered but vaguely. The Golden Boy was a slippery character in his prime. He should have been a Slytherin.

"You know my sob story too." Harry chuckled. But the laughter was rather bitter. "Ginny broke up with me."

"I know that." Blaise sighed, "It was all over the blasted _Prophet._ "

"I have the worst nightmares. I see the faces of each and every one of Voldemort's victims, starting from his second rise."

"Sounds pleasant," Blaise muttered before taking another sip.

"They haunt me. Every night I don't take Dreamless Sleep." Harry stated dryly, "Imagine that, the saviour of the Wizarding World brought to his knees by a putrid brown liquid."

"Do you have an addiction?" Blaise asked, seriously.

Harry clenched at his glass. "Yes. Since we are spilling everything tonight like the pathetic people we are – shame Skeeter isn't here. She's really missing out."

"So, what's your New Year's Resolution?" Blaise changed the topic.

Harry sighed, "Never thought of one for the new year. I see a long fall from grace."

"I just want to be happy." Blaise said, miserably, slamming his glass down with more force than necessary.

"I don't even know what happiness feels like, anymore." Harry admitted, "Maybe it's that sensation I feel when I see Teddy every week. But then again, his father and mother's faces visit me at night. I've been trying to go cold turkey these days, anyhow."

"Explains your chipper demeanour at work," Blaise mused humorously, "But seriously, you are good at hiding your problems."

"The worst is when I see Sirius." Harry continued on, "I was incredibly depressed in my fifth year – not because of Hem-hem."

Blaise laughed, "So that's what you called her! That toady bitch!"

"If I remember, you were part of her 'squad'."

"It was part of the 'stay out of trouble mantra' that we Slytherins had in our handbook."

"Aha! I knew you guys had one!" Harry pointed at Blaise.

"And I've already broken Rule #1: Don't tell Gryffindors about it."

"The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin." Harry laughed.

Blaise quirked an eyebrow, "Merlin, am I not surprised."

"So, how about round three?" Harry looked at Blaise's second empty glass.

Before the fellow Auror could say anything, Harry already ordered for him.

"You know what I want? I want to fix this mess. I can't live life like this anymore." Harry exclaimed when the third round arrived in front, "Ron and Hermione are absorbed in their own happy lives. I don't understand why I can't have... that..."

"Any louder, and I am sure the people outside this fine establishment can hear you." Blaise joked, "But seriously, don't do anything Gryffindor and noble. You are too far gone for 'noble'."

Blaise and Harry sat quietly as the minutes ticked down till midnight, taking the occasional sip.

"But seriously. If I could – I want to change this shit." Harry said solemnly, "I feel..."

And then, it all went dark.

* * *

 When Harry found himself come to, he was vaguely aware that he was in a moving vehicle. Something soft was under his cheek, and he blinked. He experimentally moved his appendages, to ensure he wasn't a hostage or something like that.

Years as an Auror would do that to you. Harry understood that all of Mad-Eye-Moody's paranoia was well-founded after his years of training.

And his head hurt. He hardly remembered anything that had happened the night before. Maybe a drink or two and...

Blaise.

He sat up. And he swore.

"Oh, shit."

He remembered the compartments of the Hogwarts Express. But what he didn't understand was why it was running at New Years.

His hangover was clearly gone, now, in light of this new problem.

And then, a more fundamental question: Why was he on it?

His eyes caught a glimpse of a figure slumped on the long seat across from the seat he had got up. The person looked familiar. But definitely younger than when he had last saw him.

"Bloody hell, Blaise, get up!"

"One more minute..." The boy muttered sleepily.

"Now!" Harry dragged the boy up to a sitting position.

Blaise took a minute to squint at the sunlight that shone through the glass that served as the windows and to observe his surroundings with the practiced eye that even hungover Aurors were capable of.

"Is this a sodding joke? You look like you've lost fifteen years!" Blaise looked at his fellow Auror, "Well, you don't quite look like the boy-who-lived back then. You've got more of a tan, muscles, no scar, no glasses..."

Harry conjured a mirror, and both of them stared disbelievingly at it.

"What happened last night?" Harry asked.

"No fucking clue." Blaise mused, "Well, we clearly aren't Aurors anymore."

"Nope," Harry answered, "So I guess..."

"Hey, we have trunks!" Blaise looked down at the seats and pulled out what was presumably his. "Felix Wedgewood."

"Wonderful, our new identities have already been picked out for us." Harry said sarcastically as he bent down to look at his, "Evander Murphy."

"Well, Evander, you certainly look familiar." Blaise laughed.

"You do too, Felix. I just can't place... where... or when..."

They both laughed heartily.

"Merlin, you know what that means?" Harry mused.

"What?"

"That there might be another Harry and Blaise running around..."

"Oh, bloody hell."

"Hey, look!" Harry dug through his trunk. There were crestless Hogwarts robes, some casual wear, a broomstick, an expanded bag full of money, and a stack of textbooks. Harry triumphantly pulled out _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 4)_.

"Fourth year?" Blaise gawked and went ballistic, "No! I don't want to have to live through the last four years of Hogwarts – again!"

"Triwizard Tournament, Not-Moody but a DE in disguise, the Yule ball..." Harry listed, "Deep breaths, Blai-I mean Felix, deep breaths."

"Cedric..." Blaise continued ignoring Harry, "We have a mission. Damn it Harry! This is your fault! I just remembered what you said before New Years."

"Evander, remember?" Harry grinned, remembering the exact wording he had used, "Well, I guess, this is my New Year's resolution, indeed."

"Damn." Blaise-now-Felix sat down, "Why doesn't anything normal happen to us?"

"This is normal." Evander sighed loudly, "And there's nothing we can do about it."


	2. Ghosts from the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Don't own.

The former Aurors found themselves waiting patiently in a small and dimly lit room, after being led there by one Severus Snape straight after they had disembarked from the Thestral drawn carriage. They had managed to snag a carriage for themselves shortly after the train's arrival, feeling the need for more time before having their new reality truly thrust upon them.

The sudden sight of a living Snape had caused Evander to almost lose his balance, considering that the only times Evander had seen the man within the recent days were in his dreams, a gut-wrenching repeat of the adventure in the Shrieking Shack, the site that had served as the Potion Master's deathbed as he bled out, and begged to see to see Evander's eyes, one last time before he crossed the Void.

Evander shivered, despite his placement of a Self-Regulating Temperature charm on all of his articles of clothing shortly before leaving the Hogwarts Express.

"I take it that you see my former Head of House in your dreams too..." Felix mused, after mulling over Evander's reactions from earlier.

"I saw him die... down at the Shrieking Shack" Evander whispered slowly, "That memory never left me. Ron, Hermione and I have never brought it up, since."

There was nothing Felix could say after that.

Minutes passed in silence before the door leading to the Great Hall opened, and Evander saw his own former Head of House, Minerva McGonagall, beckon them both over. Noting that nothing had changed much regarding Professor McGonagall's physical appearance within the past decade made Evander and Felix feel a lot more comfortable as they strode towards the light of the Great Hall.

"Murphy, Evander." Professor McGonagall said curtly, the attention of the entire school focused on the two newcomers that had emerged after the First Year Sorting.

Evander walked slowly and automatically to the battered hat, taking in the surrealism of the scene in front of him. His hands grasped the brim of the old sentient hat and he sat down. After staring at the Sorting Hat for what was a seemingly long period of time, he gingerly placed the cap on top of his head.

He heard the hat chuckle.

 _My, my – we've shared an adventure or two in the past, Evander - Harry Potter._ _My apologies, should I say... the future as well?_

Evander felt himself turn pale at the Hat's knowledge.

_Do not worry. What is said here will remain between you and me._

_Hmm... a very different mindset from the first time we've met, yes indeed. Courage you have shown, wisdom you hath earned, ambition you'd sought and loyalty have you displayed. You wish to seek happiness? Let the old Sorting Hat choose for you this time around... Harry._

Evander could barely nod before the Hat continued.

_I declare you a..._

"Ravenclaw!"

There was thunderous applause from the Ravenclaw table as Evander walked towards his new Housemates. He had been almost sure that the Hat would have thrown him in Slytherin, like the Hat had wanted to the first time around.

When Evander sat down beside an empty chair and a fellow fourth year that he recognized as Anthony Goldstein from his old days at Hogwarts, the applause immediately died down when Felix strode over to the Hat.

When Felix plunked the hat down, he felt his heart rate quicken.

_Please Ravenclaw... Please Ravenclaw... Please..._

The hat laughed. It sounded like a rumble.

_What a surprise! Blaise Zabini! Didn't like my sorting the first time around, eh?_

Felix had no comment for that. There was nothing you could say to a sentient Hat who knew all of your secrets.

The hat seemed to think for an interminable amount of time, while Felix pondered how alone he would be if Evander wasn't in the same House as him. Evander was the only connection he had back to his old world.

It was a scary thought.

_Alright then, I hope you will find what you are looking for with..._

"Ravenclaw!"

There was more applause from the Ravens as Felix took the unoccupied chair beside Evander with relief. Then the familiar figure of Albus Dumbledore rose from the Head Table and with the familiar wand movement that Evander and Felix recognized as the _Sonorous_ Charm, he began to speak.

"Evander Murphy and Felix Wedgewood are transfer students who will be beginning their fourth year, here. I sincerely hope you will all take your time to make them feel welcome."

"That's nice." Evander whispered to Felix, who simply nodded.

"Hi, I am Anthony Goldstein," The fellow Ravenclaw sitting beside Evander whispered, as Dumbledore continued on with his usual spiel. Felix knew that the Anthony of his time was working as a lawyer in an old and internationally renowned Wizarding Firm, and they had run into each other in the courtroom the other day.

They had also shared small-talk on numerous occasions.

 _Oh this is going to be so awkward_.

Anthony's friendly greeting immediately set off a flurry of introductions and hellos from the other Ravenclaws sitting close by.

"So, where did you guys transfer from?" A brunette Ravenclaw that Evander remembered as Mandy leaned across the table to ask.

"Um... we were homeschooled," Evander and Felix looked oddly at each other, both cursing that they hadn't gotten their stories straight on the train, seeing that they had been too preoccupied with the 'why the bloody hell are we young and on a train' and not the 'what the bloody hell do we do now' part.

"That sounds fun," A Chinese girl with her hair tied in a braid named Su stated.

Evander and Felix were saved from further commenting when a particularly loud thunderclap boomed nearby, and the double doors leading to the Great Hall swung open. Everyone was in awe, except Evander and Felix who felt like they were watching a Muggle movie for the second time. The former then snapped his fingers to perform a non-verbal and wandless _Muffiato_ at the psychological moment when everyone was too occupied to care.

"You need to teach me that trick, sometime." Felix whispered, "Damn, it's Not-Moody, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I wonder what we are going to do about it." Evander mused, "Maybe we should stuff him down the trunk and revive the real Moody."

Felix laughed, "We are going to have to think hard about that one. You were always a snap at the Non-verbal, wandless stuff. I envy you for that."

Evander shrugged, "Takes practice. Years and years worth. You have your own specialties, as I seem to recall, anyways."

"I heard you were working on the counter curse to Avada Kedavra." Felix changed the topic, "Or that's what some of the other Aurors were talking about the other day."

"Is that what all you guys do? Gossip all day?" Evander had the practiced stern expression on his face, the one that he used for scolding the Aurors underneath him in rank.

"And catch a few crooks, here and there." Felix said dryly with high humor, "And since we aren't back at the office, you can't punish me by making me do paperwork!"

They both chuckled, as Evander reflected that the days of threatening underlings with paperwork were over.

Evander finally lifted the _Muffiato_ , when the food finally arrived which signalled the end of Dumbledore's long speech.

"Were you guys paying attention at all to what the Headmaster was saying?" Mandy tsked, when Felix cut himself a slice of honey-glazed ham from the spread in front of him, "I mean, you lot were just whispering the whole time."

"Yeah we were. Triwizard Tournament, Mad-Eye's the new DADA professor, and so on and so forth." Evander recited expressionlessly.

Light conversation and eating commenced, with Felix making a big deal about how little Evander ate, and Mandy, Padma and Su, taking Felix's words at heart started piling things on Evander's plate – most notably a large piece of chocolate cake.

Felix gleefully watched the expressions on Evander's face as the girls kept added more and more to his once empty plate.

As Evander reluctantly picked up his dessert fork to tackle his slice of cake, he couldn't even remember when the last time he had cake was.

_Maybe at Rose's birthday party?_

He shrugged. He had almost forgotten how wonderfully delicious cake could be. Maybe having lots of cake was part of the recipe for happiness?

He smiled at the childishness of his musings.

Just as all the Ravenclaws got up to head towards their Common Room; Felix's eyes seemed to be lingering over at the Hufflepuff table. A second later, Evander was forced to grab him before he fell, his face paler than Evander's had been when he had first encountered Severus Snape on the steps leading to Hogwarts' front doors.

* * *

 The Ravenclaw dormitories, much to Evander's pleasant surprise, were similar to his old ones back in the Gryffindor tower with the exception of the cooler colours of bronze and blue adorning the room. After supporting Felix all the way to the fifth floor, with the help of Terry, Felix had deemed himself fit for walking without assistance. He shrugged off all the curious inquiries regarding the incident, brushed off all offers for a visit to Madam Pomfrey, and suavely changed the topic of conversation to the safer topic of Professors, pretending that he didn't know who taught what.

Evander found his four poster bed standing beside a beautiful stained glass window, while Felix had the one across from his fellow time traveller, as assigned by the placement of their trunks. Felix barely swallowed back his comment regarding the single room he used to have way back in the Slytherin days. The other Ravenclaws, Terry, Stephen, Anthony and Michael chatted with the ease of old friends while putting their stuff away.

Evander pushed his trunk towards the centre of the room and opened it. He removed the folded Hogwarts robes, which now each had the Ravenclaw crest embroidered and placed them on the blue sheets of his bed. This was followed by the removal of a week's worth of white shirts, a few Ravenclaw blue ties, a scarf, a pair of dragonhide gloves that he remembered Hermione giving him a few years back, and other articles of clothing, some he'd never seen before, and some from his wardrobe back in the future.

It was a shame that he no longer had his Invisibility Cloak.

He also extracted a set of forest green dress robes, and he half-smiled. Ginny had bought those for him a few months before they had split. Despite the hard times that followed, Evander knew that he had learned a lot from the experience, and he knew it long overdue that he let go.

He had never worn them.

It was quaint how Fate chose him this particular set out of all the ones he had.

And then, another thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. He turned around to Blaise-no-Felix and snapped his fingers, triggering the familiar _Muffiato_. He had modified the original spell over the course of many years, so that instead of buzzing, it was the sound of whispers too low to pick up by anyone in the vicinity.

"You saw your wife." Evander stated simply to Felix, who had been emptying his trunk and stuffing his clothes in the drawers provided underneath their beds. Evander had no inkling regarding the identity of Felix's deceased wife, seeing that the murder had took place in France, nor had he been the person to perform the routine background check necessary for all recruits.

Felix made no answer, and gave the impression that he had never heard Evander's statement.

Evander sighed and continued his probing. "She was a Hufflepuff, wasn't she? In our year, maybe?"

"It was Hannah." Felix spoke rather automatically.

"Last time I heard about Hannah was that she was dating Neville," Evander forced himself to dig up the old gossip. "Oh wait... Neville married Susan. I even went to their wedding a few years back. They have two kids."

"It's funny. I'd never noticed her back at our years at Hogwarts." Felix continued, seemingly in a trance, "I met her when I was wild and twenty-five, living the life off my mom's money... in Sicily, out of all the bloody places possible."

"Wild?" Evander grinned.

"There's no other word for it." Felix continued wistfully, "I travelled the world, was a 'party animal' in almost every sense of the word, and was popular with the ladies. I married Hannah two years later. She liked me for who I was, not what she thought I should or ought to be."

"Ah." Evander understood all too well what Felix meant.

"We were happy." Felix stated rather dreamily, "It's so strange... to see her... to know what I know, and to know that she doesn't know. Pity we are in a bloody school, I could really use a Firewhiskey, right here."

"Right back at ya." Evander sighed wearily, "These dress robes." He pointed at the green pile on the bed, "Ginny bought."

"Sucks," Felix answered back sympathetically, "But you didn't look for her tonight, didn't you?"

Evander shook his head, "No, I had completely forgotten about her, until I saw those..."

"You are moving on." Felix said sadly, "I wish... I wish... I could do the same."

There was an awkward silence that followed, both thinking about the lives that they had so abruptly left.

"We better go to bed." Evander looked around. The lights had already been dimmed and the rest of the Ravenclaws were in bed. "Got class tomorrow, starting at nine – if I remember properly."

"Merlin, I've forgotten about those." Felix feebly laughed.

Evander crawled into bed, after hastily dropping his folded clothes into the drawers. He dove underneath the covers and with a subtle flick of his index finger, the drapes closed.

* * *

 Evander and Blaise found themselves looking at their timetables the next morning. They had already known what classes they were taking judging by the texts they found in their trunks. Under the familiar safety net of their _Muffiato_ they talked freely.

"I don't remember you taking Ancient Runes before." Felix whispered to Evander, "Are you sure you can handle it?"

Evander laughed, "I picked some up here and there from Spell making. It's kind of important, you see."

"I've never taken Care of Magical Creatures," Felix mused, "You reckon I can catch up?"

"Of course!" Evander reassured, "I think we better stop whispering amongst ourselves... It makes us look kind of anti-social."

"You're right." Felix sighed, "We feel so out of place here... our thirty-three year old selves in the bodies of fourteen year olds."

Evander removed the spell, and the two continued, this time, more audibly to their peers.

"Well, we have Potions with old Snape first thing today." Evander noted, "With the Hufflepuffs." He turned around to see Felix grip his glass full of pumpkin juice, and downing it as if it was a shot of Firewhiskey that could make him forget all of his problems.

Evander mused that it was a good thing they didn't have access to copious amounts of alcohol or they'd never be sober.

"I will be fine." Felix said hoarsely.

"So you say." Evander gave him a significant look that indicated worry.

"Do you guys know how to get to the Dungeons?" Stephen interrupted, "Terry, Michael, and Anthony are going now, if you want to follow."

Wordlessly, Evander and Felix followed the rest of the fourth year Ravenclaws down the corridors and spiral staircases that abounded in Hogwarts. The two ex-Aurors found themselves struggling to remember where all the trick stairs were and Evander had even tripped on one on the way down to the Dungeons.

Finally, the pair occupied a workbench at the very back in the Potions classroom, not wishing to draw any particular attention to themselves. Felix pointedly looked down at his Potions text, and Evander could tell that he was struggling with not looking at a certain blonde who was sitting beside Susan Bones a few benches in front of them.

_Maybe we should have sat at the front._

Severus Snape soon billowed in, and began his usual lecture about dunderheads and caution in the Potions classroom.

Evander was forced to stifle a yawn, and that prompted the ever so sharp Snape to ask his first question of the day.

"Murphy! Name a potion that uses Boomslang!"

"Polyjuice Potion, sir." Evander found himself having memories involving a certain girls' washroom and a furry Hermione.

"How about an example of two herbs in Polyjuice that should never be utilized at the same time?"

"Valerian and wormwood, sir," Evander answered without missing a beat, "But the Potion would be fine if dried aconite leaves are added to the brew the step prior."

The Potions Master quirked a surprised eyebrow, "And what's the only Potion known so far that utilizes those steps?"

"Wolfsbane." Evander stated, even though he knew from the time period he had just left, there had been several other innovative Potions developed using the dangerous techniques utilized to make Wolfsbane.

Felix had invented and patented one of those, Evander mused to himself.

"Very well, five points to Ravenclaw." Snape gave him a curt nod, before moving on to teach the day's lesson, leaving Evander surprised. That had been the most civil exchange that he had ever had with the Potions Master in the classroom in his years at Hogwarts. He reflected that it probably helped that he wasn't 'Harry Potter' and a Gryffindor. It also helped that he knew the answers to the questions, even though he was perfectly aware that the answers to the questions Snape had asked were nowhere in the textbook they were required to read except for the first one considering that Polyjuice was illegal and Wolfsbane was beyond NEWTs.

It was a good thing; Evander later reflected that the first Potion they were required to brew in the year was done in pairs. Felix had lost his resolve to not look at his past halfway through the class, and had almost dropped in an entire branch of juniper berries when the recipe had only asked for three berries.

"Shit. Sorry about that." Felix looked sheepish when Evander caught the branch before it fell in. Evander then pulled off three berries and tossed them into the bubbling bronze cauldron, which turned the liquid a shimmering blue.

"Pay attention, Felix." Evander almost hissed in annoyance, "Merlin, that was a bloody close one."

"And I was supposed to be the genius in Potions." Felix sighed, "I used to brew all the –"

"Don't say it." Evander warned, knowing that the next two words that were going to pop out was 'Truth Serum'.

"Right, sorry." Felix looked sheepishly at Evander, "This is harder than I thought it was going to be."

"No shit," Evander remarked. He opened a box that he had gotten from the ingredients storage cabinet labelled _fanged carrot_ and pulled out a wriggling orange carrot by the leaves. He summoned his wand and non-verbally _Stupefied_ the carrot and proceeded to chop and dice it.

"Clever." Felix muttered, remembering the first time when he had come across a Fanged Carrot in third year. The bugger had almost bitten a finger off. He resumed his task of pulling more berries from the branch he had almost haphazardly dropped in the cauldron.

"Yeah, the fanged vegetable family is a nasty lot." Evander acknowledged as Felix dropped twenty berries into the pot and gave the stirring rod a counter clockwise half turn.

Evander then decanted the potion with a simple wave of his wand, and the now bubbly yellow liquid sat in a glass Erlenmeyer flask. Another wave rendered the glass indestructible.

"Not too shabby." Felix looked at the clock behind them, "Still thirty minutes left till end of double-Potions." He picked up the flask and pressed it into Evander's hands, "You bring it up, alright?"

Severus Snape was sitting at his desk, surveying the fourth years around him with a rather bored expression. His expressive left eyebrow lifted upward as the new Ravenclaw walked up to him and placed the flask unceremoniously in front of him.

"I am done, sir."

The Potions Master surveyed the boy standing in front of him. The boy was more confident than your usual Ravenclaw, and the quickly brewed Potion sitting in front of him was, dare he say it, perfect.

"Interesting," Snape finally replied, his dark eyes had been fixed on Evander for the entirety of his silence, "You and Wedgewood may leave."

"Thank you, sir."

Evander walked back towards his workbench, where Felix had already shrunken all of their Potions equipment and placed it in each respective bag, and the two of them walked out.

* * *

 "Isn't it kind of odd..." Evander started to say, before snapping his fingers to invoke _Muffiato_ after stepping out of the Potions classroom.

"What is?" Felix answered back.

"Mentally, you are old enough to be her father." Evander finished.

Felix sighed, "I know. I wasn't looking at her like... you know... I just wanted to see what she was like back in Hogwarts. I've never noticed her the first time around."

"You mean like, checking her out." Evander restated, "You aren't going to ask her out on a date or anything, aren't you?"

"Hell no, it's too fucking weird." Felix looked surprised that Evander would suggest such a thing.

_It won't be the same._

_It will never be the same..._

Felix immediately then changed the topic, "We've got bigger problems, like Moody."

"Like Moody." Evander parroted, "You know what I never got – why did the Goblet of Fire spew out my name as the fourth champion? I don't think old Barty Junior was a capable enough wizard to reset the settings of the Goblet. Put my name in, yes, but that bit? Hmm..."

"Interesting point you've got there." Felix acknowledged, "Or, you are giving him too little credit."

"I don't know." Evander sighed, "I just know that we can't trust anyone this time around. Not even ourselves."

"You mean Blaise and Harry, our past selves? You trust me, right?" Felix pointed to himself.

Evander gave Felix an odd look and joked, "Yeah, like I have a choice."

"Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence, mate."

"Anytime, Felix, anytime." Evander said lightly, earning himself a slap from Felix, "Where exactly are we going?"

"The Kitchens! Where else? I am starving." Felix patted his stomach, which gurgled on command.

Evander realized that they had arrived at a painting of a familiar bowl of fruit, and Felix reached upward to tickle the pear.

He snapped his fingers to end the spell.

The pear giggled, and the painting swung open. The delicious smells wafting into the air within the pair's vicinity made Evander realize that he was indeed, starving.

"I am surprised you still remember how to get here," Evander looked amused at his companion, as they both walked in, and were greeted by a pair of house-elves, one of which Felix recognized.

"What can Tinky get sirs, today?"

Felix rattled off a long list of delicacies – some of which Evander recognized, others he did not – and the ex-Aurors found themselves sitting at a homey wooden table in midst of the bustle of activity of the House Elves prepping for lunch.

Evander found himself thinking about Kreacher, the house-elf he had left behind from the future. He knew that the old elf was probably devastated by his disappearance, seeing how close-knit they had became over the past decade despite their unpromising beginning. He could just imagine Kreacher greeting him on his return from work – no, it was best that he stray from that path of thought.

He had willed everything, from 12 Grimmauld Place, his invisibility cloak, his new top-of-the-line broomstick that he had bought a year ago and Kreacher to Teddy.

 _Andromeda was going to freaking kill him. But of course_ ,

Harry briefly grinned mischievously.

_She couldn't._

He sighed, nostalgically. Despite the general shit his life had become in the future, there were a few high points, here and there.

How funny was it that he needed a time shift to see the good in his former life?

 _Nostalgia about the future, what an odd paradox._ _But of course, for himself and Felix sitting in front of him, the future was yesterday._

And then, another ghost from his past appeared, in the flesh, bearing a pot of steaming soup.

"Your soupe de poisson, good sirs."

It took all of Evander's strength to remain passive, and refrain from calling out. The house-elf looked as he had always did in Evander's dreams, badge-covered tea cosy at an odd angle, a strange tie, some sort of children's shorts and mismatched socks.

The elf then snapped his fingers, and a small dish containing small wedges of spiced toast and a strange sauce that Evander did not recognize showed up. While Evander was busy in his memories, Felix eyed the spread with appreciation and filled his own bowl with the ladle left in the pot. He dipped a piece of toast in the sauce, and dunked it in his soup.

He munched appreciatively.

"My good elf, what is your name?" Felix asked, "This very flavour reminds me of France."

"Dobby, kind sirs," The house-elf bowed low.

Evander, not knowing what to say, followed the same sequence of steps as Felix had done. A quaint mixture of spice and garlic greeted his taste buds, and he was quite surprised by how good it was.

"Thanks, Dobby, this is excellent," Evander finally acknowledged. His own eyes were slightly misty.

_Only slightly._

And with another pop, Dobby disapparated to tend to his other duties.

Felix gave Evander an odd look, which was followed by Evander's reply: "I will tell you later."

* * *

 Evander and Felix ditched lunch, considering the bulk of dessert that Felix had ordered from the house-elves including delicate pastries, pies, and éclairs. Evander had ended up watching Felix eat alone after stuffing his own stomach with the goods.

Instead the two went for a stroll around the various floors of Hogwarts, and when Evander reached a certain bathroom door; he pushed the door open and yanked Felix in with him.

"The bloody hell was that for?" Felix groaned, "You do realize, we are in the bloody girl's bathroom. Oh no, scratch that, the one that no one uses."

"Hmm, and its occupant isn't here... Probably antagonizing the pipes," Evander walked over to the sink and tried to making a specific hissing noise from memory.

Nothing happened.

"Are you bloody mad, Evander?" Felix looked at his friend with a bewildered look.

Evander ignored Felix and tried again, and again. And finally, there was a noise, as the passageway to the old Chamber was opened.

"Merlin," Was all Felix could say before Evander pulled Felix towards him, and both went down the passageway.

It was still the same as Evander had remembered it, greenish, gloomy, dim and smelled damp.

"You were trying to speak Parseltongue?" Felix finally asked as they were halfway down the tunnel, filled with tall pillars entwined with snakes, snakes, and more snakes, "You can't, anymore?"

"Harry can speak it. I can't." Evander replied back, "Kind of lost the ability when the cursed scar was destroyed. Still remember a few words though."

"So, why are we here?" Felix looked distastefully at the dead basilisk that was lying on the ground that they had just reached.

"I figured, we might as well start destroying you-know-who, slowly, y'know. Piece by piece, as they say," Evander said cryptically. The boy bent down towards the maw of the once fearsome Basilisk, summoned his wand, and used magic to break off the fangs. He then magically shrunk them, and conjured a small glass jar, placed them in, and sealed it tightly, before dropping the tiny jar into his robe pockets.

"What do you mean by that?" Felix was bewildered, but practically summoned his own wand, and started to remove the skin, "Hmm... Basilisk skin is ridiculously hard to come by these days, and we could use it for Potion brewing. Pity the blood's all coagulated."

Evander snapped his fingers. Paranoia be damned, he wasn't going to reveal the next piece of information to anybody, even if they were alone in a secret chamber.

"Voldemort made horcruxes. That was the reason why he was so seemingly immortal."

Felix gasped, "You mean, in the plural? Damn. How many times did he split his soul?"

"Too many – these teeth will destroy them, from my previous experience. I could conjure Fiendfyre, but I'd rather not." Evander mused, "Plus one of them is in Hogwarts, so we can go destroy it at our leisure. Sooner the better though. And how did you know about horcruxes?"

"Heard about them sometime during my travels," Felix said, rather vaguely. He bagged the skin in an opaque Muggle garbage bag that he had conjured, causing Evander to quirk an eyebrow at his choice of baggage, and shrunk it. Like his friend, he dropped the item in his pocket.

"Well, if we leave now," Evander cast a Time spell, "We could be on time for Ancient Runes."

"Excellent. Shall we put aside our plans for Mouldy Voldy for another time?" Felix was highly amused by the contrast of their varying activities.

"We are kind of expected in class. Got to maintain the good student facade, y'see?" Evander smirked, "Off we go now."

Basilisk contraband in pockets, Evander and Felix headed back up towards class.

* * *

 "Ugh, this is boring." Evander whispered to Felix at the back of the Ancient Runes classroom.

Felix looked amused, "Already? But this is your first class in the subject! Well, to be frank, I already know this stuff, so I am bored too."

"So do I, at least, you have your counterpart," Evander looked pointedly at the direction where a different Blaise Zabini sat at the front of the room, studiously taking the elaborate notes that Professor Babbling was painstakingly writing by hand, in front of them all while explaining her derivations.

"Merlin, was I boring," Felix mused and then turned to gaze at the rest of the Slytherins in the room; "Daphne, Tracey, Theo and I were good friends back in the good old days. We were neutral. Although Theo's parents were nutters."

"Yeah, you are pretty boring." Evander chuckled, as he observed the Blaise in front of the room raising his hand up to ask a question, "Kind of reminds me of Hermione."

"Thanks, man." Felix said sarcastically, "I wasn't a complete bookworm!"

"It was a compliment," Evander grinned, "Oh shit; I think Babbling might be on to us."

Evander quickly summoned his wand and quietly reduplicated her notes on the pieces of parchment in front of them, before Babbling left her place from the board to come marching up to the talkative students. Felix let out a sigh of relief when she walked up to Daphne and Tracey who were sitting in front of them and reprimanded them from gossiping.

When she walked back, Felix murmured, "That was a close one."

"No shit, Felix." Evander said drolly, before turning his attention to a blank piece of parchment. He picked up his quill and started sketching a triangle, before inscribing strange runes within from memory.

At this point, Felix wisely turned his attention back to the lesson, while Evander continued to scribble till the end of the class.

* * *

 "So, how was the first day, you lot?" Michael Corner caught up to Felix and Evander, who were all heading back to the Ravenclaw Common Room after dinner.

"Parts dull, parts interesting," Felix replied nonchalantly, "How about you?"

"Transfiguration was fascinating! I can't wait to learn how to vanish objects!" Michael began to go on and on about how cool the art of vanishing things were and how useful it was.

Felix and Evander gave each other an amused look, which seemed to say.

 _Ah, youth_.

Mercifully, Michael stopped when they entered the Common Room, and Evander headed for the dormitories along with Felix; while the other Ravens of their year sat down to do their homework.

"Oh Merlin, I forgot with school... came homework." Felix said to Evander in the empty fourth year dormitory.

Evander grinned while snapping his fingers, "You forgot, Auror training? That was a shitload of homework."

"Well, I want to finish the unpacking." Felix said, "Considering we only got through the clothing, yesterday and we started talking about feelings like how Tracey, Daphne, Millicent and even Pansy did back in the day. I remember Theo, me and even Draco groaning about it."

"Damn, can we go through a day without talking about emotions?" Evander laughed, "It's been two days in a row."

"Kind of difficult," Felix chuckled, "Being thrown in this time period really does make you rethink things."

"Alright then, to unpacking," Evander grinned, "Ooh, my Firebolt!"

"Nice," Felix looked appreciatively at the gleaming broom that Evander had lifted out from his trunk.

"I haven't flown it in years." Evander admitted, "Got two new brooms within the past ten years."

"Well, Fate can't have you too far ahead of the times." Felix grinned, "Ah, my old Nimbus 2001 is here."

"You play Quidditch?" Evander inquired, remembering that Felix had not been on the Slytherin team.

"Yeah, I can play all the positions, but I never really wanted to be part of the Slytherin team. For one thing, I wasn't the big and bulky type that they favoured." Felix shrugged, "We could play sometime, on a weekend."

"Cool. Better do it in private or we will be dragged kicking and screaming to the Ravenclaw House team," Evander joked.

Felix laughed, "It's kind of unfair, especially with the fact that we've been flying brooms for almost two decades now."

"Oh damn, nice broom, Felix! And is that a Firebolt I see there? Only Harry has a Firebolt around here!" Stephen walked into the room, his mouth agape in awe, "Are you guys, by any chance, any good at Quidditch? We need some better players!"

Evander discreetly snapped his fingers, and the two shared another look. Both of them could've sworn that they could've seen the sarcasm in the other's eyes.

 _That lasted so long_.

* * *

 "So, we've been roped into Quidditch tryouts," Felix chuckled when all the Ravens had finally gone to bed.

Evander sighed, while working on his Transfiguration essay by candlelight, "Looks like it. Maybe I will go for Chaser this time around."

"Cool." Felix frowned at his own essay, "Why did Professor McGonagall give us only one day to do this?"

"Beats me, I remember she really started upping the homework load in fourth year." Evander shrugged, "I can't believe the other four Ravens are already done."

"And it's boring. I can already change into a bloody animal!" Felix sighed, staring drearily at his half-written essay.

Evander groaned, "Oh shove it. I can't. It's actually nice having all this review; I've forgotten most of it."

"Just wait until DADA; we will be both dying of boredom." Felix dipped his quill into the inkwell near his pillow. He preferred the old fashioned ways, while Evander had a self-inking raven feather quill in his hand.

"Not-Moody was pretty fascinating, from what I remembered." Evander smiled, "Pity I forgot the exact date he transfigured Malfoy into a ferret."

Felix laughed, "We need to be there."

"I can still picture Ron's face of bliss. 'Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret." Evander remembered, "You don't seem to defend young Draco very much, despite being ex-Housemates."

"Let's be frank here," Felix said, "Draco was a spoiled git when we were at Hogwarts. None of us called him out on it, because it wasn't our way, and Theo and I stayed away whenever he started picking fights with Gryffs. Although, after the Malfoys' had most of their assets seized by the Ministry for their War Crimes after Voldie's Fall, you'd never see a humbler man."

"That's true." Evander mused, remembering the last time he had accidentally bumped into Draco, and found out that he was married to Astoria, and owned a quaint little bookshop and cafe in Diagon Alley. It had been a respectful encounter on both parties.

"Tomorrow should be a little more interesting on your end," Felix changed the subject, "We've got Charms, and Herbology with the Gryffindors."

"Yes, and we will finally get to see the young me, and what did they call us back then? Yes, the Golden Trio." Evander grinned at the memory, "Definitely more interesting than what we saw in Ancient Runes."

"Mind you, what the hell were you doodling on about in that class earlier? I didn't get it at all." Felix looked suspiciously at Evander, who merely smiled.

"I don't get it either myself, but when I do, you will be the first person I notify."

"Damn you, Evander. Always a sneaky and cryptic bastard, aren't you?"

The two proceeded to work on their essays in silence, while the rest of the room's occupants snored on.


	3. Deflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't own anything familiar.

It was early dawn when Harry started to stir. His eyes still shut with sleep, he stretched under the warmth of his blue patchwork quilt, and ran a list of things he planned to do at the office today in his mind. There was the Jones' case, recent leads on Goblin Mob smuggling activity into the country to follow up on and the reshuffling of the Auror roster for the New Year. It was always hard to find a fair schedule that kept everyone happy. And it was Friday, which meant sixteen year old Teddy was supposed to drop by after Harry was finished with work for a last holiday weekend visit before Hogwarts restarts the week after.

All the kids liked to confide to their 'Uncle Harry' considering that he never judged, and always had plenty of practical advice and chocolate for 'medicinal purposes' on hand. And he obstinately kept their secrets, much to chagrin of Hermione, Fleur, Andromeda and all of his other friends with children.

He sat up abruptly, and opened his eyes.

_Shit._

_He wasn't 'Harry', nor was he anyone's 'Uncle Harry' anymore._

_Alright then, scratch those plans._

It was still dark in the dormitory, but rays from the early sun snuck in through a crack from the thick blue curtains that covered the stained glass next to Evander's bed. He had forgotten to close the drapes around his bed the night before. He rolled out from underneath the covers and got into a push up position, where he proceeded to work on his morning routine.

_Aurors were required to keep fit._

After a series of exercises, he got into a meditating position and began fortifying his mental defences. Shortly after the Fall of Voldemort, it became a necessary requirement that all Aurors were supposed to be proficient in the art of Legilimency and Occlumency. All personnel from the Department of Law Enforcement were required to undergo _Imperius Curse_ conditioning as well, a controversial regulation that he had insisted upon after shortly taking on the Head Auror role, two years ago – the youngest Auror to do so within living memory at thirty-one.

_If only he had been the Head-Auror during this time period..._

Finally, he finished off with a bunch of stretches. He then took a moment to smirk; it had been so long since he had felt so alive, so awake. Two days of uninterrupted sleep could work miracles.

Seeing that all the Ravens were still snoring away, Evander summoned his wand from the sleeve of his shirt. He kept his wand on his person at all times and the holster he wore was woven with a complex series of charms to protect his weapon from impact of all sorts. It was _Expelliarmus_ and _Accio_ proof, and of course, invisible to anyone but the wearer. He conjured a single marble and willed his wand back.

He took another cautious look at the sleeping Ravens, and with some effort, he levitated the marble and moved it around with careful finesse. The main point of this deceptively simple exercise was control.

He never revealed to anyone the extent of his wandless abilities. It had became a hobby during his years as a trainee Auror, and a few years after that, he started to tinker with the fabric of magic itself, deriving his own Spells, with some occasional help from Hermione.

_Felix only had a taste of what he could do._

He also had an odd inkling that Felix was right the first day: It probably wasn't outside influences that caused this shift back in time; it might have been something he had done prior.

_Well, sorry about that, Felix._

_Maybe it was something he had done when he had been completely drunk off his arse back at home a few days before. Pity drunken penseive memories were completely incomprehensible._ _Kreacher had lectured him on the finer points of the perils of alcoholism the very next morning when he requested a Hangover Potion from his Potions cabinet, which he kept in mass quantities at all times._

_Maybe he should give up on alcohol altogether._

_Probably._

As he was thinking, he held the marble completely still at eye-level, and then he released his hold, catching the spherical object with his left hand. Summoning his wand once more, he banished the marble into non-being. He then began to pack his bag with what he needed today: Charms, Herbology, DADA, and Transfiguration texts, the essay he had stayed up past midnight to finish, and with a devious smirk, the drawing of the runic triangle he had created from memory the day before.

He had worked on the problem for so bloody long that he could recall every Rune that was supposed to be in the triangle. It was unfortunate that the unique safe situation needed to practically test his derivations had never shown up.

_Untill today._

He cast a lightening Charm on the sack, just as Felix sat up from his bed across the room.

"What are you up to today, Murphy? I don't think I like that smirk on your face."

"Good morning to you too," Evander replied sarcastically, wiping all circumstantial evidence of smirking off his countenance, "Well, I am going for a morning walk, if you'd care to join me?"

"Well, it's only seven," Felix mused, looking at the ornate Ravenclaw clock that graced the wall behind him, "I was hoping to have a little bit more of a lie in."

Evander was already changing into his school clothing, "You know what they say, tis the early bird that catches the worm." He grabbed his school bag and headed straight out.

Felix, looking extremely perplexed, immediately changed clothes, threw everything he needed into his own bag, and dashed after the mad ex-Head Auror. He did stop for a second to put a _Feather-light_ Charm on his bag though.

_Honestly, Evander's losing his bloody marbles._

* * *

It was a few steps away from the fifth floor entrance when Felix finally managed to catch up to Evander. His former superior didn't spare him a glance, and continued along the corridors which were for the most part, empty. Evander then turned to head up a spiral staircase, the opposite direction to breakfast that Felix had been hoping for.

"Where are we going?"

"Soul-hunting," Evander answered simply without breaking stride.

"Ah. That makes everything so much clearer..." Felix mused, more to himself than Evander, "Clear as mud..."

Minutes later, Felix found himself examining the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy while Evander was pacing back and forth, as if deep in thought. Felix figured that there must be a method to Evander's madness, and refrained from making wisecracks. He felt a tap at his shoulder, and when he turned around, the wall across the tapestry had somehow become a door. Evander opened the door without much further ado, and gestured Felix to go in first.

He found himself in a large room that was best described as a cathedral, with enormous windows that reached many metres up. Items of all sorts were piled up beside what appeared to be cleared walkways, and of an assortment that would rival any flea market or bazaar that Felix had been in.

When Evander quietly closed the door behind them, Felix found himself asking, "Where the fuck are we?"

"Welcome to the Room of Lost Things." Evander stated grandly, as if he was a tour guide. He immediately began walking through the aisles, glancing upwards for something.

"Ah." Felix then realized something, "This was the room that Draco practically lived in when we were in Sixth Year? Hmm..."

"Yeah, repairing the bloody vanishing cabinet," Evander answered back, "Well, the cabinet isn't here yet, but we should remember to completely destroy it next year when Montague reappears. The other one is at Borgin and Burkes."

"Or..." Felix mused, "We let Draco work on it a bit, and then we go and..."

Evander laughed, " _Reducto?_ Fiendfyre?"

"We could try vanishing the cabinet," Felix suggested, with a grin.

"Now that's a thought. Vanishing the vanishing cabinet." Evander said with great amusement, "But I rather we not drag this business all the way till sixth year."

"That'd be ideal, so... what the hell are we supposed to be looking for?" Felix finally stumbled upon the pertinent question.

"A diadem, you know what that is, right?"

"Of course, I do. I do have a sophisticated vocabulary." Felix feigned insult, "For example, there's one there." He pointed towards a mannequin like object over at the next aisle.

Sitting on its forehead was a discoloured, old headpiece. Upon closer observation, Felix realized that this was a statue of the Founder of their new House.

"Rowena Ravenclaw," Felix said reverently, examining the marble appreciatively realizing that it had been made by one of the old Masters, "I take it that you don't know much about Art?"

Evander shrugged and looked rather wistful, thinking of his accomplishments over his time after the Fall of Voldemort, "Never one of my hobbies. Spent most of my time chasing after bad guys, babysitting you lot out on the field, playing with spellwork... Can't have you bunch getting killed on my watch." He then scrutinized the diadem, and after several seconds, he nodded with satisfaction. "I believe this is it."

He pulled out the jar of Basilisk teeth from his pocket and immediately got to work. He conjured a piece of resistant cloth in a shade of maroon and removed a tooth from the jar, holding it gingerly with the cloth. He enlarged the fang to its original size and gripped the base of the fang, cloth still wrapped around it.

"Should I go get it?" Felix pointed to the diadem from a few feet away. He then made out the engraved words on the headpiece, "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure. Bloody hell, it's the lost diadem of Ravenclaw! And, we are going to dest-"

There was a loud cracking sound as a Basilisk fang was flung forcefully like a spear directly at the diadem. Dark-grey mist issued from the fracture point, which immediately assembled into a face and the most grotesque high-pitched scream Felix had ever heard came from the mist. There was a clank as the fang flung fell on the floor, and a slightly molten mark on the forehead of Rowena Ravenclaw that vaguely resembled Evander's old curse scar.

Felix turned around to see Evander standing on a partly broken table behind him, the cloth still in his dominant hand.

"Good thing Tom Marvolo Riddle never considered a career in opera," Evander said lightly as he jumped down and knelt down to the ground to reclaim the fang, "That final note didn't sit too well with me."

Felix laughed and tossed his own tease towards Evander, "Remind me not to let you around any historical artifacts, if that's what you end up doing to them." He bent down to pick up the seemingly burnt fragments of the diadem. They disintegrated into fine dust as Felix brought them closer for better visualization. "Destroyed to smithereens!" Felix then felt a familiar pang in his stomach, "Can we have breakfast now?"

"Yeah, I think we've definitely earned it." Evander started heading back towards the way they came, and they both exited the Room of Lost Things, "One down, several more to go."

* * *

Like usual, Evander and Felix sat at the back of their second period DADA class with the rest of the Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Shortly after taking his seat, Evander had several pieces of parchment in front of him, including the rather interesting and slightly battered sheet containing the mysterious triangle. The speed of which Evander had obtained his papers made Felix suspect that the ex-Head Auror had wandlessly summoned them from the bag that sat against the left leg of the table. He filed that thought into his brain for later use.

Disregarding what Evander was doing with the parchment – the secretive bastard would tell him when he was ready – Felix pulled out his DADA text, and wondered if there was any way he could improve his own wandless skills. His skills in that area were rather average, most adult wizards were capable of summoning their wands from a metre or two away, and do little things, such as move objects the odd decimetre or two with much effort. It was an area of magic that was little researched.

He noted that the 'old' him was sitting at the front of the room again, this time with Daphne, talking avidly about something – probably Quidditch. Tracey and Theo were playing quill and parchment games on the parchment they shared between them such as hangman – a little Muggle game that had been shown to them by a Ravenclaw back in their second year, and Draco Malfoy was sitting with Pansy Parkinson next to the table occupied by his other self. Draco had evidently said something amusing, because Pansy laughed. Her laughter sounded rather like braying in Felix's humble opinion.

_He had never been a particular fan of Pansy's laugh_. _It was so unlike Hannah's mirthful and contagious laughter. Daphne had a nice chortling laugh and Tracey's could be best described as a giggle._

His thoughts returned back to DADA when he heard the odd footfalls of not-Mad-Eye. It was a dull clunk of his wooden leg against the ground followed by a gentler thump of his intact leg. Barty Crouch must have had a hell of a time trying to get used to walking like Moody, Felix mused. The grizzled characteristics of the mad ex-Auror were familiar to him, as there was a painting of a silent but animated Mad-Eye hanging in the Aurors' section in the Department of Law Enforcement, commissioned in honour of the contributions the former Auror had accomplished through his long and illustrious career.

_They couldn't have the portrait roaring Constant Vigilance every time someone walked by._

"You can put those away," Old not-Mad-Eye growled, as he made his way to his chair at the front of the room. Upon seeing several puzzled looks of the students in front of him, he clarified, "Those books; you won't need them."

There was a frantic flurry of activity from the students to do what he asked, while Evander calmly added a few more Runes and a circle in his triangle. Felix watched Evander retrieve his wand physically with his left hand and started to erase some of the Runic characters within the geometric shapes. Mad-Eye began to take the register shortly after everyone was done.

"Today's topic," the grizzled Professor continued, stopping for an emphasis, "Will be on curses. Not just any old curse... but the Unforgivables."

There was a collective gasp from the students in the room.

"But, those are illegal!" Su managed to sputter out.

"Yes, Li, they are. But you need to be prepared. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Everyone, even Felix jumped at the sudden contrast in not-Moody's speaking volume. Evander, however, had finally put his quill down, and was looking with some satisfaction at the circle inscribed in his triangle. Here was one solution to the problem. He had erased all the runes with the exception of three characters that stood at each corner of the triangle. Felix could only recognize one of the characters, which represented 'thwarted destiny' located at the top point of the triangle. There were strange lines which connected the circle to the triangle. Upon closer observation, Felix noted that every line within the triangle and outside the circle were continuous with each other.

"So, who can name me one of the Unforgivables?" Mad-Eye's glass eye whizzed around, and fixed it upon Draco Malfoy. "Malfoy?"

"The Cruciatus, sir."

"Ah, the Cruciatus... You are Lucius' boy, aren't you? A slippery character your father was... just like the rest of them." There was a slight edge of disgust in Mad-Eye's tone, but Felix was starting to find Barty Crouch's performance, a tad melodramatic, even for Moody. "Not a pleasant curse, the Cruciatus. If performed properly, it gives the sensation of a thousand red-hot knives cutting into you. Destroys the nerves, if cast long enough... Very well, another one?"

This time, Felix put his hand up, and Mad Eye's eye fixed upon him, giving him the sensation that it was his soul being gazed at.

"Wedgewood?"

"The Imperius, if cast correctly, the user may have total command over the body of another being," Felix said, remember the conditioning training that he had undergone shortly before becoming a fully fledged Auror. Fortunately for him, it had come by more naturally than most.

"Ah yes, another popular one, back in the days..." Not-Moody continued on from Felix's explanation, "An era of paranoia and suspicion. No one knew if their neighbour, their own children, their parents... No one could be trusted... and finally? Murphy?" Not-Mad-Eye sought the only person in the class that hadn't seemed to fall under the spell of his personality.

"The Avada Kedavra," Evander recited dryly, "A jet of green light... and ... that's that. You're done for. There is no known counter-curse, with the exception of the day where the boy-who-lived deflected it back against the user."

It was the only Unforgivable that Evander had never cast. He wasn't capable of it. He lacked the hatred. He couldn't even hate bloody Voldemort enough to create the green light. He then wondered if Felix was capable.

"Alright then, we have here..." Mad-Eye pulled out a glass jar with three different spiders crawling within it. He opened the bottle, and one of them scurried up to his palm. He then enlarged the creature, creating a few looks of revulsion amongst the slightly arachnophobe population in the class. "The Cruciatus. _Crucio!_ "

Evander watched disinterestedly at the performance of the curse, while Padma begged Not-Moody to lift the curse off the eight-legged creature, as she couldn't bare its suffering no more. After seeing his friends, and even a few of his Aurors being hit with such curses and worse over the past decade and a bit, spiders were one of the last things on his to-be-concerned list.

The _Imperio_ demonstration drew laughter from some of the students when Moody caused the unfortunate creature to tap-dance and do elaborate gymnastics across his desk. Evander and Felix found nothing funny about the curse. They knew the havoc that curse had caused throughout the years, during the years of Voldemort, and afterwards. There was a reason behind the _Imperius_ conditioning regulation that he had implemented slightly over a decade after Voldemort's downfall. While Mad-Eye reprimanded his students, Evander took a last glance at his Rune work. Not-Moody then reached for the last spider in his jar and enlarged it and bound it with a Binding Curse.

"And lastly, the _Avada Kedavra_ , the killing curse..." Moody said solemnly, and proceeded to point his wand at the spider. Evander immediately summoned his wand with lightning speed, and with several elaborate swishes based on the continuous series of lines that he had drawn in his triangle that Felix could barely make out in Evander's haste just as not-Moody incanted, the grizzled Professor's attention focused completely on the spider and the curse he was about to perform. Felix's eyes opened wide when the lines on the runic shapes began to glow gently in front of Evander. Felix took a quick glance around the room to ensure that no one was watching Evander, but of course, Evander was always on the money in regards to psychological moments.

" _Avada Kedavra!_ "

Moody's green jet of light commenced on its trajectory straight ahead to the immobilized arachnid, but a few centimetres before it hit the would-be- doomed spider, the green light was deflected at a sharp angle and smashed into the bookcases behind Moody's desk. There was a loud explosion of glass, wood, parchment shreds and metallic bits that resulted from the deflected curse. Evander banished his piece of runic parchment and willed his wand straight back to its original and invisible place, relatively satisfied with the results.

Pandemonium broke lose a few shocked seconds after the explosion, with students talking loudly amongst themselves, while Mad-Eye first took a quick suspicious glance at the students and seeing nothing amiss, he looked behind in astonishment at the carnage his spell had done.

"Did you see that? Something deflected that Avada Kedavra!"

"Bloody hell – what if that curse went the other way and hit us instead?"

"But... That's impossible!"

"Merlin, the hell did I just see?"

"Who just did that?"

"I don't know!"

"But you aren't supposed to be able to block the Avada Kedavra, let alone deflect it completely!"

During the convenient distraction, Evander snapped his fingers and whispered to Felix after ensuring that there was no attention focused on them, "Let me borrow your wand for a sec."

Wordlessly, Felix handed over his wand, and Evander immediately removed the evidence of the experimental spell he had used from his own wand. He immediately checked his wand and Felix's to ensure there wasn't anything beyond fourth year magic used within the last ten uses. He deleted any spell that didn't fit the criteria. He handed Felix back his wand and returned his back to his sleeve. He removed the _Muffiato._

The whole process took slightly over a minute. After, much to Felix's complete disbelief, Evander joined the speculative conversation that Terry and Anthony were having in front of them.

Evander mused to Terry, "Probably a misfired Avada Kedavra, you never know – it could happen."

"But at that angle?" Anthony remade the trajectory angle with his fingers, "It looked far too perfect to be a mistake."

"Well, it's a pity that whoever did that," Felix gestured towards the scene of destruction in front, "Couldn't vanish the spell completely. Deflection is cool and all if you are alone, but what if we were fighting in a big group?"

Terry continued, "Yeah, it could easily hit someone else instead. But criticism aside, the person who did this was bloody brilliant."

"Pity no one knew where it came from. Whatever deflected that curse, I couldn't see it." Evander lied smoothly.

"Yeah. A pity." Felix muttered darkly, unable to make eye-contact with the crazy bastard who sat beside him in class.

"This is the most interesting DADA class I've ever been in!" The four boys could hear Stephen, sitting several tables away said excitedly to Michael. Stephen was one of those people gifted with the type of voice that even if he whispered, he could be heard all the way across from the other side of the room.

Mad-Eye finally turned around, after surveying the scene of damage, and vanishing most of the damage. Evander knew well enough that physical objects destroyed by Avada Kedavra were tainted, and could not be put to rights with a simple _Reparo_.

Everyone fell silent at his quiet scrutiny as he barked, "Class dismissed! But before you leave, I want to see everyone's wand, starting with Malfoy. Hop to it, laddie!"

Many minutes later, Evander's surname was called, and he walked up to Not-Moody. He unceremoniously presented his wand to the Professor who scrutinized it carefully. He then cast _Priori Incantato_ on Evander's wand, and after a minute seeing that all was in order, handed it back, dismissed the boy with a nod, and called out, "Wedgewood!"

Evander waited around for Felix to come back moments later, after Non-Moody found nothing suspicious in regards to Felix's wand. Felix slung his bag over his shoulders and the pair headed out the door.

Sensing that Felix was making an effort to hold his tongue, Evander mercifully snapped his fingers.

"I am going to strangle you," Felix hissed quietly in Evander's ear when they turned at the next corner, "What the bloody hell was that for? What if Moody caught you? We'd have to _obliviate_ the whole class!"

Evander said innocently, "Research."

"Damn you and your 'research'. Next time, a little warning, please! I thought I was going to die of a heart attack in there." Felix fumed, "Honestly... and not everyone can lie as well as you."

"Well, you were complaining that DADA was going to be boring, yesterday." Evander stated, "I livened it up for you."

"There's such thing as 'moderation'. And don't drag me into this!" Felix countered, "That was more excitement than a week's worth of following leads back at our time!"

"It was a great opportunity." Evander explained his actions, "I was pretty sure it was going to work, and knowing that old Barty was going to cast the Unforgivables on the first day... By the way, thanks for the suggestions."

"You are welcome," Felix said sarcastically.

"Lunch?" Evander changed the topic with a subject rather close to Felix's heart, "Ravenclaw Table today."

"Bloody hell; stop using my weaknesses against me!" Felix groaned and put his hands up in mock-mercy, as the two ran to catch up to Terry and Anthony, who were heading towards the Great Hall for the midday meal.

* * *

The story of the botched _Avada Kedavra_ spread like _Fiendfyre_ during the lunch period throughout the various House tables adding much fuel to the rumor-mill. Much to Felix's relief and Evander's satisfaction, there was nothing in the gossip that linked the incident back to them, considering that their wands had gotten a clean bill of health from not-Mad-Eye himself. Speculation ranged from Moody screwing up to a hidden ambusher in the classroom, although Felix and Evander knew the later theory was flawed, seeing that Mad-eye's prosthetic eye could see through most disillusionment Charms and invisibility cloaks.

After a hearty lunch, Evander and Felix found themselves walking to their next class of the day: Charms with the Gryffindors. Over the past days, Evander had caught glimpses of his past self and his old friends at the Gryffindor table during mealtimes, but never really had the opportunity to see them up close. He had the urge to go sit at the Gryffindor Table for a better look, but he knew that would raise suspicions.

"You know, I just realized something..." Felix said.

"Did you? What did you realize?" Evander asked.

"It's Friday..." Felix observed.

Evander laughed at the simplicity of his friend's realization, "Very good. I see you aren't completely time-disoriented from our trip. So, what's so significant bout this obs-"

Felix bumped into a familiar bushy haired girl that had been equally distracted by her own conversation with her own friends. Not thinking much about his observation, Evander reflexively bent down to pick up the girl's Charms textbook that she had dropped. When she reached over to grab her book, he found himself staring into the eyes of Hermione Granger. Beside her, stood Ron Weasley, and...

Himself.

He found himself smiling nostalgically at the boy in front of him, as Felix and Hermione apologized profusely over their collision and introduced themselves with some laughter on both parties considering they had been doing too much talking and not enough seeing. He was so scrawny back then, with the usual Potter messy hair and the glasses. The Harry at age thirty-three had gotten his vision fixed, found a strong decent hair-taming Charm to give his hair some semblance of order, although it was still a mess on most days due to his habit of leaving his pillow to determine his hairstyle of the day, and of course not as skeletal. He was still thin, but he was fit.

He heard Ron exclaiming that they were the new Ravenclaw transfer students, but Evander still found his eyes transfixed by his past self. He moved from the boy's facial features to the iconic lightning bolt scar that had once formerly adorned his own forehead. He then realized that his long scrutiny of his younger self was rather getting on the nerves of said self out.

"Yes, I am the boy-who-lived." Past-Harry sighed wearily with the air of someone who was used to being gawked at, "If that's what you were wondering."

Evander was forced to grin, finding it amusing that he had just unintentionally committed a crime that his younger self absolutely abhorred – undue staring from peoples unknown, "I know. You are Harry Potter."

_And my past._

"You lot have Charms with us, don't you?" Hermione asked, before fishing out her meticulously-folded and colour-coded timetable from her bag to find the answer to her own question. She had passed her Charms textbook over to Ron for the duration of the search.

"Of course," Felix replied back, "Evander and I were heading for the Charms Corridor.

"You'll like Professor Flitwick, he's a great Professor," Hermione continued, just as Ron asked curiously, "Blimey, you guys were there when Moody screwed up the _Avada Kedavra?_ Weren't you? I just overheard Stephen telling Dean that it was the greatest DADA class of his life when we walked past them a few moments ago!"

"Yeah, we were." Evander said, "It was very interesting, and then he was so convinced that a student was behind it that he checked all our wands with _Priori Incantato_."

"And he found nothing odd?" Harry asked which was followed by head shakes indicating the negative from both Evander and Felix.

"And I missed it?" Ron sighed dreamily with a hint of envy, "It's a shame that we, Gryffindors, don't have DADA till next week. My brothers Fred and George said that Mad-Eye really knew his stuff when they had him yesterday."

"We actually didn't get much teaching from him today," Felix admitted, "Professor Moody let us out shortly afterwards. No homework too, mind you."

"Lucky!" Ron exclaimed, while Hermione said concernedly, "But wouldn't you guys fall behind though – homework is important and with –"

"It's alright. " Evander had to refrain from laughing because out of everything Hermione found important in their conversation such as botched curses and mad Professors, she was concerned about the missing homework.

_Merlin, how he missed Ron and Hermione from his future_.

Their conversation with Ron, Hermione and Harry came to an end when the five entered the Charms classroom, where the Golden Trio went to find seats close to the front, while Felix and Evander sat down on seats at the very back.

Evander resolved to remake his acquaintances with Ron and Hermione, and get to know his past self, a bit better.

* * *

After dinner at the Great Hall, where the hubbub of the DADA incident had died down somewhat over the course of the day, Evander and Felix headed for Library and sat down at a cherry wood table at what they discerned was a quiet corner. For the most part, the Library was deserted, seeing that it was the first Friday of the school year, with the exception of several seventh year students who had already hit the books in anticipation of NEWTs.

Felix was already scribbling frantically with his dark blue ink that he had an odd predilection for and his favourite eagle feathered quill on a piece of rich creamy parchment. He had been delighted to discover that his trunk contained a generous supply of stationary that he had grown to prefer over the course of his adult life, including his old favourite quills.

He paused for a few seconds to ponder if the theoretical calculations that he had performed regarding the vanishment of specific inanimate objects were correct for Professor McGonagall's second essay of fourth year. His Transfiguration textbook sat beside his parchment, unopened. Transfiguration had been one of Felix's favourite subjects next to Runes and Potions back at Hogwarts. He had always enjoyed an intellectual challenge.

_Okay, maybe Evander was right. I am tarred with same brush as Hermione._

Evander had cracked open his Herbology textbook, realizing that if there was a course he couldn't risk falling behind, it was this one, seeing that he had somehow managed to forgot everything from the subject. He could just imagine Professor Longbottom from the future shaking his head with shame at him.

_Oh Neville... I should have visited you and Susan and the kids more often..._

Barely twenty minutes had passed, when the two boys found themselves under the looks of two Hufflepuff girls who had walked up albeit nervously to their table. Felix found himself involuntarily flushing when he realized that the one standing closest to him was Hannah. He found himself looking into her shy brown eyes, which had the same spark as they did when she had been older. The older Hannah had a hell of a lot more confidence than the timid one standing in front of him, though.

_Well, considering that she fought with Harry before Voldemort's Fall and dealt with the Carrows' shit for a year._

_Damn this whole being young shit again._

Evander noted that Susan was standing beside her, with a Potions text hugged to her chest.

"You guys are Evander and Felix, aren't you?" The red-headed Hufflepuff finally asked, "The new transfer students?"

"That's us!" Evander said lightly, smirking slightly at Felix's discomfort, "What may we help you with?"

"We kind of need help... Ernie, Hannah and I," Susan admitted, "Professor Snape assigned as an essay after you guys left, and we don't get the question at all."

"Wait, what? We had Potions homework?" Felix finally broke out of his stupor, "Do we still have to do it?"

Evander stifled his urge to chuckle, "Considering we don't know what the topic of this essay is on, Felix – I'd say no."

"And I figured that since you guys left early without a single criticism from our Potions Master," Susan continued, "You must be pretty good at it."

"Alright then, I guess we could be of some assistance to you," Evander nodded and gestured to the empty seats around, "You can also ask Ernie who's sitting alone all the way over across the Library to come over."

"Thanks, Evander – thanks a million!" Susan grinned, and rushed off to go get her friend, while Hannah shyly took the seat beside Felix.

"Hello, Hannah," Evander said amusedly, determined not to miss a single detail between Felix and Hannah's first encounter.

"Hi, Evander," she replied quietly, gently opening her own Potions text and pulling out several sheets of blank parchment from her bag, "Thanks, by the way."

"So what's the question old Snape has given this week?" Felix found himself asking Hannah, just as Susan came back with Ernie.

When Evander and Felix finally left the Library near curfew, they had made limited headway on their own work, but they had the gratitude of three fellow students who had not only finished their essays, but understood the material as well.

"That was rather unfair," Evander mused on the way up to the dormitories under _Muffiato_.

"What was?" Felix asked, looking suspiciously at the former ex-Head Auror.

"Okay, so let's say hypothetically that you had a Potions problem, and you can only ask a Potions Master or an ex-Head Auror for help. Who would you ask for help, Master Zabini?"

"Oh fuck you, Head Auror Potter," Felix groaned. He had almost forgotten about the Mastery he had finished in France during the happy days over the course of the past days. He had wanted to prove to Hannah that he could do commitment unlike his mother, plus Potions was something he had always enjoyed and excelled at. "I did my bit!"

"Yeah, if you called staring at poor Hannah every few minutes when you thought no one was looking and looking into space with your mind Merlin-knows-where while I lectured about the finer points and applications of Zaitzev's Third Law regarding neutralizing and Juniper berries for a better part of thirty minutes, and –"

"You weren't doing badly! Actually, I think you teach a hell of a lot better than I do. Alright, I apologize for my lack of attention to our duty! And it wasn't staring, it was 'looking'!" Felix cut in, determined to stop the teasing. "But I did read over their essays afterwards and offered suggestions and went over points that they were a little hazy in afterwards. So, what are we doing this weekend?" Felix abruptly changed the topic.

"A little bit of this and that." Evander agreeably changed the topic, "Maybe figure out some method to use the Triwizard Tournament to our advantage."

"Sounds good," Felix acknowledged, "And maybe, we can finally fully unpack our trunks without interruptions. We kind of stopped after the 'brooms' incident."

Evander laughed.

* * *

Saturday proved to be a lovely day – the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and what little wind was present blew gently across the Hogwarts grounds. Upon seeing such optimal conditions, Felix and Evander promptly grabbed their brooms from their trunks and headed straight outside after a rather traditionalist breakfast of bacon, eggs and fruit.

Barely when Felix had stepped out of the castle, Evander had already mounted his _Firebolt_ and gave a great kick off the ground, soaring many metres in the air almost instantaneously. He flew on leisurely towards the Quidditch Pitch, enjoying the familiar feel of the wind. There was nothing like flying. Evander would often take his broom out for a spin after a long stressful day at the office or out on the field, although he was terribly aware that he had slowly turned to drinking his problems away within the past year or so.

He found himself thinking of _home_ , 12 Grimmauld Place. He had completely renovated the place after he had started training as a Trainee Auror. After clearing out the nasty backyard, he had, with some help from Ron, installed Quidditch hoops, and as a result, his yard had been the popular hangout place of fellow Aurors, friends and their kids. There was at least one game of pick-up Quidditch during the week during the warm weeks of the year.

As Felix flew quickly to catch up with Evander, he found himself reminiscing about days gone by as well. Hannah had loved flying, and was a worse Quidditch fiend than he had ever been, although she had never had the courage to try out for teams back at school. Hannah's wizard father had worked as an innovator at the company who had designed the _Firebolt_.

He had flown through France's beautiful countryside shortly after her funeral, wandering aimlessly for days, until he had caught hypothermia, hardly realizing that his warming charms had worn off hours ago.

Evander conjured a Quaffle and lobbed it at Felix, who instinctively caught it and tore towards the hoops. The pair played wildly for several minutes before they were spotted by two members of the Golden Trio – Ron and Harry, who had clearly had similar plans to the time-travellers – they were both flying on their brooms, trading the easy banter of friendship.

"Hey look! It's Evander and Felix!" Ron Weasley exclaimed loudly to Harry, "Hey guys!"

Evander, who had was on the verge of dropping the Quaffle into one of the hoops, and Felix, who was anticipating catching said ball underneath the hoop came to an abrupt halt.

"Hey, Ron, Harry," Felix waved towards the two Gryffindors. Evander did likewise.

"Mind if we join you? I can play Keeper," Ron asked, and offered.

"Oh, definitely," Evander grinned, relishing a match with his younger self, "Here, catch!" He flung the Quaffle at Ron, who caught it, and went to take up his stance in front of the three hoops, "Where's Hermione today?"

"In the Library," Harry quickly caught the Quaffle from Ron, "She's not the biggest fan of Quidditch. So, free-for-all?"

By noon, their simple three Chasers against one Keeper Quidditch game had evolved into chaos. Older years and younger years from the Houses of Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff begged to join the fray after watching the pair of Gryffs and Ravens play, with Evander finally calling a halt to the madness so that they could form two impromptu teams, trying his best to split the talent, equally. Fortunately, Evander had plenty of experience in forming task forces back in his time, so it didn't take too long. Cedric Diggory ended up joining the scene, and fetched a golden Snitch, pair of Bludgers, and four Beater's bats so that they could have a legitimate game.

Evander felt an odd pang upon first seeing the first victim of Voldemort's second rise, but the feeling went away quite quickly when he caught sight of the Snitch, fluttering near his opponent's leftmost goal post. He couldn't resist having a Seeker's competition against his former self.

Felix noted that there were several Slytherins looking interestedly at the proceedings, including his younger self, Daphne and even Draco, sitting at the bleachers. He knew that his old House was traditionally out of sorts with the rest of the Houses, and they wouldn't want to be caught intermingling with the other Houses.

_Such a pity_.

He intercepted a Quaffle from Terry Boot, and narrowly ducked as a Bludger sent courtesy of Fred Weasley zoomed through the space where his head had been. He got around the Keeper with a clever feint and gently tossed the Quaffle into the middle post.

Evander saw Harry see the Snitch, now fluttering close to the ground, below the chaos that was happening on Harry's team side of the hoops. His younger self made a dive for it, and Evander pushed forward, hurtling towards his younger self, forcing Harry to veer away from his pursuit of the Snitch, knowing well enough that Harry would have reached the Snitch before he did had he not done what he did.

_That was bloody close_.

It was gone again, but then Evander swore he saw something glitter beneath him and instinctively dove almost vertically towards the ground, pulling sharply up at the last second, much to the shock and amazement of the growing crowd sitting upon the bleachers. A few exhilarating seconds later, he had the Snitch clenched tightly in his fist, triumphantly.

There was huge cheering and a chant issued from the bleachers, mostly from people supporting their friends on the winning side. "Evander! Evander! Evander!"

"The Snitch has been caught!" Katie Bell yelled loudly, she had been playing Chaser alongside with Felix.

"Bloody hell, what?" Fred Weasley had just smacked another Bludger across the field towards Anthony, the third Chaser.

"And I thought we were going to lose!" George Weasley yelled happily to his fellow twin. They had been playing on separate teams. "You guys had Harry!"

"So much for not showing off," Felix teased, "Now, Roger Davies is determined to bag you." He pointed to the Ravenclaw Captain who had an odd facial expression that rather resembled someone who's wildest dreams had come true in the stands.

"I was so determined to catch the Snitch, that... I forgot! Merlin, I didn't even see Roger!" Evander shook his head as the other members on their team started celebrating, as if it was an actual Quidditch match.

"I didn't even go after you," Harry flew up to Evander. Evander could tell that his younger self was slightly disappointed with the loss. "I thought you were pulling the Wronski's Feint! Brilliant flying, anyways! Good game!"

"You too, Harry, you too." Evander smiled at his younger good-sported self.

"This is bloody brilliant," Angelina was heard speaking to Jason, one of the other Beaters, "Let's do this every Saturday in lieu of no Quidditch season this year."

"Seconded!" Ron shouted from the hoops.

"Third-ed!" The fourth Beater, a Hufflepuff yelled out his input.

"Let's go and have lunch!" Felix felt his stomach grumble, "It's bloody two already!"

With that, the group broke up and headed for the Great Hall, for a very late lunch.

* * *

"You know, I think we are very good at doing this House-Unity thing," Felix mused to Evander as they headed off to the Room of Requirement after dinner in the Great Hall.

Felix had spent his afternoon playing Wizards' Chess with Ron, and they had ended up tying, each having won one game each while Evander, Harry and Hermione spent it doing homework, along with several of their fellow Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs in the Library. Much to Hermione's delight, Evander was able to explain a difficult concept from Runes that she had not been getting.

"It wasn't even intentional!" Felix continued.

"Yeah, I think so too," Evander mused, "Everyone who played today ended up sitting at the Gryffindor table for the late lunch, and even some of the spectators." He then paused, "Speaking of spectators, I saw Hannah watching us..."

"No you didn't!" Felix quickly cut in with denial, "I almost forgot that she was so shy back in the day... She was a brilliant Chaser when I knew her."

"Yes I did," Evander smirked, "Top bleacher, on our side of the pitch. You were too busy chasing Quaffles so, I don't blame you."

"Ah." Felix nodded, as Evander focused hard on the space of wall behind the troll-dancing tapestry. He opened the door that reappeared to find an Auror training room that they had been used to in the old days. There were two sets of dummies, a large space for dueling and bookshelves crammed with textbooks of all sorts. Evander ran up to one of the dummies and proceeded to kick and punch it after shutting the door behind him.

Shrugging, Felix began to do the same, feeling the soothing rhythm of the familiar exercises from his Trainee days. This year had been the first year he had became a fully fledged Auror – he had finished three years of training in two. After her death, he had found himself completely and utterly lost, and he knew he had needed to throw himself into something. The old partying days had lost the allure they once had, and somehow he had decided to return to good old England.

"I dare you to do something," Evander finally said after five minutes of abusing his dummy.

"What?" Felix looked suspiciously at his former superior, "Aren't we too old for these games?"

"I dare you, to convince Hannah to play Chaser in two weeks time, for us." Evander continued, ignoring Felix's jibe.

"And if I do?" Felix looked at Evander oddly.

"Name your price." Evander said, with an air of generosity.

Felix sighed, and leaned against the sturdy dummy behind him, deep in thought.

After several minutes, he decided grimly, "When we go after all the DE, let me be the one to terminate Rookwood."

He was almost ninety-nine percent sure that Rookwood was the one who had destroyed his life, based on the evidence, such as the handwriting on the murderer's note, Rookwood's threat several years ago to take revenge on the purebloods that had refused to join Voldemort, not to mention that Rookwood had been jilted by his mother, decades before.

_Maybe he was still nursing a grudge against that._

"Very well," Evander nodded with gravity before resuming his furious regimen, "Rookwood's life is yours."


	4. The Proposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything familiar, I don't own.

On Sunday, Felix found himself rushing through Professor Babbling's Runes' problem set that was due the next day. He was sitting in the Room of Requirement which was currently in a 'library' like configuration with its shelves of textbooks, comfortable cushioned chairs, and sturdy tables.

It was one of the few places where he could find any sort of peace, considering that word had spread amongst the fourth years that Evander and Felix knew a lot about everything, were perfect suckers for tutoring when asked and that the demand for last-minute proofreaders for essays in Potions and Transfiguration due the next day was too damned high.

_Damn, only in our first week of Hogwarts, and we are already the resident know-it-alls._

He had tried working at the actual Library earlier this afternoon, and was asked by no less than three people to read their work within the first five minutes. He had fled as soon as he could, after helping each individual through their problems, before anyone else could make a beeline for him.

He was finding himself kind of regretting spending his Saturday playing chess with Ron, while Evander had finished everything that was due within the next few days alongside with Hermione.

His intense concentration on the Runic square in front of him was broken when Evander strode into the room, and shut the door with a flourish. The ex-Head Auror carried an oddly familiar glass jar under his left arm and on closer observation, Felix asked, with some disbelief.

"Bloody hell; are those _spiders_ in that jar?"

"Yup," Evander grinned and replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world to walk around with a jar of arachnids, when he arrived at the mahogany desk that Felix was working at. He put the jar down on the wooden surface with a loud unnecessary clang that made Felix wince, and the critters within to jump, "I just _accioed_ the lot several minutes ago."

"That's nice," Felix said sarcastically and then looked dubiously at Evander, "What are you going to do with them?"

"Practice," Evander smirked slightly, but his tone was serious. He unscrewed the cap from the jar, and plucked out one spider with his left hand. With a quick flick of his wrist, his wand appeared in his right hand, and he pointed it at the squirming spider, "Figured that old Barty had the right idea..."

Felix looked perplexed, but patiently looked towards Evander for a more detailed explanation.

_Please, tell me more..._

" _Engorgio,_ " Evander incanted, and the rather fuzzy brown spider began to swell up in size. As it got too big for his hand, he dropped the arachnid on top of Felix's Runes homework.

"Hey! I was doing that!" Felix exclaimed with indignation.

Ignoring his former fledgling Auror's protest, Evander pointed his wand again at the spider and quietly whispered, " _Imperio._ "

The spider reared up on its hind legs, and began to do a credible soft shoe across the table. It followed up on that performance with fabulous somersaults and gravity-defying acrobatic feats, before attempting a funny little bow and flinging itself off the table. Evander raised his wand and removed the _Imperius_ with a simple flick, and followed it up with a second swish, which banished the enlarged eight-legged creepy crawly into non-being.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" Felix felt his throat go dry during Evander's Unforgivable performance during which all thoughts of finishing his Runes homework had long deserted him.

"Yes," Evander said calmly, "I have."

"When?" Felix asked gravely, dropping his eagle-quill to the table.

"Shortly before the Fall... when we were fetching a Horcrux from Bellatrix's vault – I don't exactly remember how many times I did it that day..." Evander sighed, "I was successful at all attempts made."

"You broke into Bellatrix's vault? Merlin... That's high security stuff back then... with dragons and shit!" Felix exclaimed, and then he paused to think some more, "Is that what the whole escaped dragon thing from _Gringotts_ was about back then?"

Evander laughed, "Yup. We liked to make grand exits, back then."

"Ah, so why are you practicing your _Imperio_ now?" Felix asked, curiously.

Evander grinned cheerfully, "I've got plans. I mean... _we've_ got plans. I want this Voldemort shit done and out of the way by this school year. We are going to ensure the every single Merlin-damned loyal DE and Voldy-lover is rotting in Azkaban, Dementor-kissed, or deader than a doornail. I prefer the last option. "

Felix sighed loudly and with a resigned air, "And none of this is going to be legal, right? You've spent over a decade chasing after –"

"Yeah, I know. But this is the easiest way. And maybe..." Evander stopped, fixing Felix with a serious look and sighed resignedly as well, "The only way."

"So, may I know of our plans?" Felix wondered.

Evander looked thoughtful for a moment before he said, "Let's say that the first step starts at Halloween. I will tell you when I finish working it out. Enjoy the quiet life, for now."

"Bloody hell, the Goblet of Fire..." Felix racked his brain for the past significance of that particular week.

"Yes... yes..." Evander acknowledged, before turning away, "Now, I've got some of Ron's worst nightmares to torture and you've got some Runes to do. Get to it, Wedgewood."

"Um... sure," Felix said drolly to himself, before returning to his work, his brain distracted by thoughts of what mad things Evander could possibly have in mind for Voldemort's bitches.

Evander spent his entire evening, experimenting with the contents of his jar with intense determination.

* * *

Felix found himself staring blankly beside one of the large stained glass window of the Library, after dinner on Tuesday. It was a gray day, with heavy fog and one small portion of his mind kept track of the slow path the raindrops fell after smacking into the window, while the rest of his mind was occupied by matters literally years away. He was leaning casually against the windowsill, his elbows propped on his Care of Magical Creatures textbook.

"Felix... Felix?"

Felix moved his tall frame towards the voice that had broken him out of his reveries. Much to his surprise, it was Hannah. She was standing a little anxiously, with her Potions text tucked under her arm, and Felix had the urge to gently brush a wayward lock of hair out of her eyes, like he had done in the distant past.

_Or future._

He was finding it incredibly difficult to hear Hannah say his 'new' name over the past few days. He missed his old one, or rather; he missed having the person he loved best in the world saying his true name.

_You can never have what you want._

It just further resonated for him that things are different in this new reality.

_Fate is fucking cruel..._

And in this reality, Felix had realized all-too-well, that his past future was non-existent. Such was the paradox of time-travel, and only those caught in its grasp, would only truly understand the implications. And nothing hurt more than to know that the one you spent five of your happiest years with, would never have a single inkling of the events that had transpired.

He honestly didn't know what was worse, his situation back in the future past, or in the present.

_Oh, how he wanted to smash the window in front of him... in fury, or was it... frustration..._

He had never felt so utterly alone in the entirety of his life. Sure, there was Evander, but it wasn't the same.

_Hell, he didn't even know himself... not anymore._

He sighed, and moved his fingers to rub his eyes that were slightly damp.

"Felix... are you alright?" Hannah asked concernedly.

He straightened himself up, "Yeah... I guess. So, what's up?"

"Could you read over my Potions essay?"

"Damn, you've done it already? Sure," Felix tried a little harder to make his tone a little more jovial. He picked up his textbook, and his bag that had been lying on the wooden floor of the Library beside him. The two headed for a table in a discreet alcove, and out of habit, Felix pulled out Hannah's chair for her. He sat himself down on the chair next to hers, and steeled his mind on the task at hand.

_Read the essay, Felix. Don't think._

He spent the next five minutes reading Hannah's work, before pulling out his old eagle-feathered quill, and his blue ink to jot a few points and corrections down at the bottom of the parchment.

"You are rather old-fashioned..." Hannah found herself commenting upon her observation, "Everyone I know uses the spill-less and inkless quills these days. I like quills for writing, but I prefer a nice sharpened pencil for drawing."

Felix smiled tentatively, remembering that the grown-up Hannah loved to paint and sketch, and had a whole assortment of supplies, both Muggle and magical in her arsenal. "Yeah, I like the old stuff. I know it's rather quaint..."

Hannah's small smile grew a little larger, "I think it's nice. And you have nice handwriting, for a bloke."

"Thanks," Felix pushed the parchment towards her, "I think it's pretty good, but you are kind of missing a point or two about..."

Felix continued on about Potions, while Hannah found herself absorbed by the 'future' Potions Master's words. It was hard not to, for Felix genuinely loved his craft, and enjoyed sharing what he knew. It also helped that he had maintained the darker tone of voice of his adulthood, which always had a unique alluring quality to it since he had matured, especially so when he was talking passionately about a topic.

"You are better at this than Evander," Hannah said, after they were done, "And Snape. I actually understand this stuff now."

"That's high praise indeed, Hannah," Felix quirked a smile, and then he impulsively asked, "Do you want to be my Potions partner on Thursday? Evander wants to get to know other people better..."

_Wow, does that excuse sound lame... even though it was true._

"Seriously?" Hannah looked bewildered, "You want me!" She pointed at herself, "To partner up with you in Potions? I am such a dunderhead in that subject..."

"Yeah... I'm serious." Felix found Hannah's awkwardness surprisingly endearing.

He mentally proceeded to slap himself for thinking such thoughts.

"And you aren't a dunderhead; it's just that Potions is a difficult topic, and all." Felix continued.

Hannah then finally nodded, "Sure, Felix – I will tell Susan to find another partner. She's been working up the guts to ask Anthony to sit with her."

"Really?" Felix grinned at Hannah's slip of gossip. "How convenient. I think Evander asked Terry earlier, anyways."

"Well, I've got to go and get ready for Astronomy tonight. Looks like a bad night for it, anyhow." Hannah looked gloomily out the nearest window, "Thanks for everything, Felix."

"No problem," Felix said dazedly as he packed up his own stuff. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he left for the main study area in the library.

When he reached the main study space, filled with rectangular cherry wood tables, and plushy seats, he caught sight of Evander drawing more Runes on another piece of scrap parchment. The familiar triangle with its three Runes was back, but this time, Evander had drawn a line to bisect the triangle in half. Triangles were rarely utilized in applicative Runeology, whereas pentagrams and hexagrams were the most commonly used. Felix primarily used his skills in the field to derive theoretical formulae for experimental Potions.

"So, why triangles?" Felix asked Evander as he sat down.

Evander, who was still busy filling the space with Runes, responded, "Why not triangles? By the way, did you ask her?"

Felix shook his head and looked surprised, "How did you know I was with her?"

"Felix, Felix... I just saw her walk by a minute before you showed up from the same direction. It was only a logical deduction." Evander brushed the tip of his raven-feathered quill against his chin, before continuing to write, "There isn't that many people here, so close to curfew."

Before Felix could reply, there was a _thunk_ as Hermione Granger gently dropped a box down on the table. Evander looked dubiously at the contents, which included the rather familiar badges, engraved with the four letter acronym: SPEW.

He felt a slight migraine begin to grow in his left hemisphere.

_He definitely did not have the energy to tackle a revolutionary Hermione today. Not after doing all his homework, and looking over Terry's, Anthony's and Su's Potions essays in the past hour._

He decided to step back, and let Felix do the work.

"SPEW?" Felix reached for a badge, and examined it.

"Society of the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Hermione explained primly.

"Come again?" Felix was compleltely baffled.

"House-elves! It's completely unfair! Forced to work all the time, punished if they do wrong, and no holidays!" Hermione exclaimed, rather passionately.

Evander sighed, and more thoughts of Kreacher came into his mind. He strongly believed in the bond between a Wizard and his elf, where there was mutual respect on both sides.

He missed his elf, dearly.

_Kreacher had been there for him; long after Ginny had ditched him, and had patiently and tactfully picked up whatever pieces of him that were left. The elf had tried coaxing him with his favourite dishes, listened whenever he was in the odd talkative mood and quietly cleaned his empty Firewhiskey bottles for months on end before Kreacher finally started foisting not-too-subtle hints that he really ought to move on, and get help for his addiction to Dreamless-Sleep._

_Kreacher could be quite bossy when 'Harry' was being a stubborn bastard._

_Maybe there was a way for him to get Kreacher back into his life, considering that Sirius really didn't want him._

Felix rolled his eyes, "So, you want to liberate them?"

"Well, yes..." Hermione said, taken aback by Felix's lack of excitement.

"How much research did you do on this, exactly?" Felix asked, rather curiously.

"Well, I read about the nature of the bond, and after I saw how the Malfoys treat Dobby..." Hermione mused, "And I went through some law books, but there isn't really anything..."

"Hermione, Hermione... Most elves regard their service with their Mistresses and Masters as the highest honour attainable in life. And the Malfoys are a horrible example of the working conditions of a typical elf. Offering them freedom will offend them. Most wizarding families treat their House-elves with respect, and some like family." Felix explained, rather patiently.

_He had been practically raised by an elderly house-elf, considering what kind of parent his mother was._

"So, you won't help me?" Hermione looked a little upset.

Felix sighed, "No, it's a futile crusade, Hermione. You have to think about it from the perspective of the House-elf. A free elf, unlike a free wizard, is looked down upon, on both factions – by their own species, and by wizardkind alike."

"I think, what Felix is trying to say," Evander finally decided to speak, "Is that your intentions are good, but the net result of the plan you've laid out here will cause more harm than good."

"And you are right, there are abusive people out there," Felix admitted, "But the thing is, you underestimate the House-Elf. They are quite tricky little buggers with their own brand of special magic, and will look for loopholes to make their Masters miserable to get even."

"Alright..." Hermione sighed in resignation and picked up the box of badges, defeated by rational argumentation, "I will go back and revaluate my plans then... You guys both sound like you know about House-Elves..."

"Yeah, I guess." Felix said.

"Look at the time," Evander mused, as he turned around to look at the Library clock, "I think I am going to turn in – got Potions with jolly old Snape tomorrow."

"You're right." Felix agreed, "I've got that bloody poster to make, right?"

"Yeah, you promised," Evander picked up all his parchments and stuffed them in his bag, "See you, Hermione."

* * *

On Thursday morning, most of the students of Hogwarts were crowded around the entrance to the Great Hall, around a certain section of wall. On the wall, hung a poster emblazed with the words " _Hogwarts Quidditch League_ " and below that was a long list of rules and regulations, as well as registration information.

"Bloody hell, you've actually gone –" Fred started to say to Evander, whom the twins had spotted lurking behind a statue near the poster itself.

"And done it!" George finished with astonishment.

"Done what?" Evander asked them in pretend bafflement.

He smiled at the sight of Fred and George, together.

He still remembered the moment when George had realized his twin was dead after the Final Battle, and it was a scene that would continue to haunt him over and over again in his dreams. George didn't scream in anguish, like their mother had done, shed tears like Ginny, or broke down like Ron and Percy had done. He had an odd stoic expression on his face, and at that moment, Evander had realized that two people had died the day Fred did.

Fred pointed to the poster hanging across the room, "You talked to –"

"Professor Flitwick, didn't you?" George accused, "You don't fool us, Evander!"

"Well..." Evander grinned, "Maybe... I might have let slip a little something after Charms class, a few days back. Felix made the poster, anyhow."

"So, can we be on your team?" Fred asked.

"Did you even read the rules?" Evander pointed in the direction of the poster, just as Fred had done.

"Um... no!" George admitted, "But we break them, all the time."

"Well, you clearly missed the no siblings on the same team bit." Evander smirked.

Fred and George looked at each other with feigned horror.

"Oh no, he did not just say –"

"Oh, I think he did, Gred –"

"Bloody hell!"

"I call Evander!" Fred yelled quickly.

"No, I do!" George countered, "Besides, I've flown with him, last week. I've got, what's that word – experience."

"But you already got to fly with him." Fred complained.

"Um... guys..." Evander tentatively interrupted, "Let's do this fairly. I've got a coin here... Heads will be Fred, tails, George." He flipped it before they could get another word in. "Heads it is."

"Fine, I will go see if Harry needs a beater for his team." George strode away, before tossing an 'it's alright' wink back at Evander.

"So, who exactly is going to be on our team?" Fred asked.

"Well, Jason, one of our Beaters asked me already, Felix, and there is you. We need to snag a Slytherin, and Felix is working on the Hufflepuff."

"Multi-house too! No problems, Evander, I will see if we can get an adequate Chaser or Keeper from the House of the slimy." Fred saluted.

"That would be excellent. Take your time though, deadline's not till two weeks from now."

"See ya, Slytherins to chase down, and all." Fred walked away with a determined look, towards the green fraction of the crowd.

* * *

At the back of the Potions classroom, Felix found himself sitting beside Hannah at the back of the room. Evander had given him a wink shortly after he had sat down, and he also knew that he would have to approach the Quidditch question at some point.

He had slightly over a week left.

And he wasn't stupid. He knew why Evander had even bothered with the dare. It was his way of getting him to face his unresolved issues.

_Manipulative bastard._

But then again, he could have turned it down and Evander could have asked her instead. So the onus was once again, on him.

_Fuck!_

"I heard you were at the game, on Saturday," Felix found himself starting up the conversation, as he retrieved his old and slightly battered eagle quill and a piece of fresh parchment.

"Yeah, I was. Surprisingly, it was one of the most exciting games I've seen at the Hogwarts pitch. Harry finally has competition in the Seeker department." Hannah replied with a grin. "You were pretty good, yourself."

_If only she knew... who Evander really was._

"Thanks." Felix said graciously – knowing that when Hannah said something like that, she meant it, "Do you play?"

"Yeah... at home... with my Dad and his friends during the summer. It's usually a riot." Hannah said wistfully, "My dad says I have the makings of an excellent Chaser."

Felix sighed. _He had played Quidditch with Hannah's dad and his friends several times before. It had been some sort of boyfriend initiation thing or something like that._

_He had passed._

"So, are you on the House team?" Felix asked, just as Severus Snape gracefully walked over to his desk, his robes drifting elegantly behind him.

"No," Hannah shook her head.

The two of them fell silent as Snape proceeded to take attendance and begin his lecture. Hannah had picked up her quill to take notes in her familiar calligraphic handwriting, pausing then and there to doodle on another piece of spare parchment. Felix found his eyes drifting over to Hannah, while he took minimal notes on whatever Snape was talking about – something about the explosive properties of dragon horn powder – but he was barely paying attention.

Finally, Snape stopped his lecture and waved his wand at the board. The recipe list for Anti-Nausea Potion appeared on the board.

"You have one hour. When you are done, hand in your Potion. Start," Professor Snape said curtly, before sitting himself down at his desk.

Felix fetched his own cauldron from his bag and enlarged it, as did most of the students around them. It wasn't long before his Potion was bubbling merrily, the sweet smell wafting through the air.

"Um... Hannah, you should cut the twisted aubergine with a silver knife." Felix looked critically at the blonde beside him who was struggling with the cutting, "It's a lot easier that way."

"Oh?" Hannah looked surprised, but she traded her stainless steel knife for a silver one. She took the distorted purple ingredient and proceeded to cube it. The silver blade cut through the material with ease, "Professor Snape never told us that."

"Well, it's something you learn through experience." Felix mused.

_Yeah experience... that's about right. Fucking experience, indeed._

"You must have brewed a lot." Hannah said, while tossing her cubed eggplant into the boiling pot in front of her.

_If only you knew how long I've been doing this, Hannah._

"Yeah, I find it very soothing. It's amazing how you can combine a bunch of seemingly random things, and with it, you could use it to stop death, change your luck and even cure..."

Felix stopped himself before he could say something stupid like Lycanthropy.

"Cure what?" Hannah asked curiously, as Felix threw in an entire rat liver into his cauldron, "Hey, wasn't that supposed to be minced?"

Felix shrugged taking advantage of the change in topic, "Makes no bloody difference at the end for this Potion. In fact, it makes it better. Trust me."

"If you say so," Hannah said wearily, but copied Felix's methodology anyways, considering how useful his tip about the twisted aubergines was. The Potion turned into a rich shade of crimson.

"Wedgewood," Professor Snape's silky tones issued from behind the two, almost causing Hannah to drop her knife. They hadn't even realized that he had been on the prowl. "What colour should the Potion be after adding in the liver?"

_Shit!_

"Um... Purple, sir, according to the instructions on the board," Felix said, quickly scanning the blackboard again to ensure that his answer was right.

Seeing Snape about to retrieve his wand to vanish the contents of his cauldron, Felix immediately cut in, "However, if you add the next step... two Lotus leaves, and do a counter clockwise stir like so." He followed his spoken instructions, and the contents of the Potion immediately turned pale green.

Hannah quickly repeated what Felix did.

"Fascinating," Severus Snape was almost dumbfounded, as he watched his student cut up the last ingredient of the Potion, a pair of fire-salamander tails simultaneously, with a technique that screamed Potions Master.

"And, here we are, one Anti-Nausea Potion." Felix grabbed one of the clean Erlenmeyer flasks stored in the cabinet beneath their bench and decanted the contents of his delicate pale green Potion into the flask. He tapped the flask once with his wand to render it unbreakable, and his Potions professor grabbed the flask off the bench. Professor Snape held the liquid up, and his dark eyes scrutinized the contents, unbelievingly.

By this time, Hannah had decanted her Potion into her own flask. Her Potion was a shade of green that was slightly darker than Felix's had became.

"Well, Wedgewood..." Professor Snape finally recovered his powers of speech and said oddly, "You really shouldn't be in fourth year Potions."

_No shit._ Felix mused to himself. He noticed that the rest of the class, including Evander was looking at the exchange between him and their grumpy Professor. Evander had finished brewing his as well, but judging by the colour of his friend's Potion, Felix knew that Evander had followed the steps on the board.

"You and Murphy, come speak with me after class." Professor Snape said curtly, before turning to collect Hannah's Potion, as well as Evander's and Terry's. He also gathered all the essays that he had assigned earlier in the week from each one of them.

Felix knew that Professor Snape was going to have a shock later on while marking those papers, considering that over ninety percent of them had passed through either his or Evander's hands at some point.

"Oh bloody hell," Evander walked over to Felix and Hannah, "I hope we aren't in trouble."

"Trouble? For brewing something too bloody well?" Felix said with great amusement.

"That was pretty funny. I've never seen someone so gobsmacked in my life, when you started lecturing like that..." Evander admitted, "I don't know what he wants with me, however..."

"I had to do something! He was going to vanish my work!" Felix exclaimed.

Hannah finally added, "That was a scary moment, mind you. But I trusted you anyways."

_Trust..._

_I would never lead you astray, Hannah..._

_Never..._

"Thanks, Hannah." Felix struggled to maintain his poker face, and then decided to attempt his original goal of the day to better cover-up his emotions, "Evander and I are forming a Quidditch team, and we need a Chaser. I was wondering if you'd like to join."

Hannah looked flustered. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Evander nodded, "We've already got Fred and Jason for Beaters, Felix and hopefully you will be our Chasers, I will be Seeker and Captain and we still need two more people, but we are working on that."

"I'd be honoured," Hannah smiled, but then her insecurities resurfaced, "I hope I don't screw up."

"You won't." Felix looked at her reassuringly, while elbowing Evander in the ribs, signalling that his obligation to the dare was over.

"He might though," Evander teased while ignoring the abuse to his body, pointing at Felix.

Hannah found herself laughing.

"Hey! That's not very nice!" Felix looked insulted, but smiled sadly when he saw Hannah laugh genuinely.

_Her laughter at fourteen was the exact same as her laughter when he knew her in his past existence._

The bell signalling the end of Potions soon rang, and as everyone else fled the Dungeons, Evander and Felix found themselves walking towards the front of the classroom, where Professor Snape was regarding them with curiosity.

"You two have demonstrated exemplary skill and knowledge in the area of Potions: Wedgewood, for demonstrating a better method for brewing a Potion not known to me, and Murphy, for your responses to my questions the other day, as well as your own more than adequate brews... The precise steps of brewing Wolfsbane are well beyond the curriculum covered in seventh year. My suggestion is this then, you two will be exempt from all Potions classes starting from now, and you two will sit your OWL this year with the other fifth years. Once or twice a week, you will come to my own private laboratory, and you will brew for me, as well as, hand in any work I assign you two. This is a unique opportunity, for the last time I've done this for another student was several years back. She sat her NEWT the year after, and she completed her Mastery with me in two years time."

"That sounds generous, sir," Evander finally spoke after he and Felix were stunned for many long seconds.

_He had never ever even dreamed of getting this particular type of *special* treatment from Snape in his past days._

"I would like to accept, sir," Felix said, "I was frankly, getting bored."

"I guess I would like to, as well." Evander agreed, following Felix's lead.

"Then, meet me here tomorrow, at six. Don't be late." Professor Snape finally got up from his desk and billowed away to his office, signalling his dismissal.

When the pair were finally out of the Dungeons, Evander mused to Felix after snapping his fingers, "The hell did I just accept? I am light years behind in Potions compared to you."

"At least you have the opportunity to learn something new." Felix said, "My skills were honed almost a decade after the Snape in our time of existence was killed. I have to remember what the old methods were back then so I don't reveal too much about the future. Plus, Professor Snape never said that you had to do the Mastery with him. He's just giving us an opportunity to opt out of class and write our OWL and NEWT earlier."

"I guess so." Evander mused, "So much for keeping off the radar."

Felix laughed, "The offer was genuine."

"I know." Evander grinned, "I don't think Snape is capable of faking that particular expression when you were showing him your skills."

"Nope," Felix shook his head, "I never even knew he was capable of such a facial expression."

"Well, you know as they say, there's a first time for everything." Evander chuckled, "Maybe you should show off your Transfiguration skills to Minerva and opt out of that class too."

"Nah, I am quite fond of McGonagall's teaching," Felix admitted, "Plus, I think we want to keep my Animagi ability, quiet."

"You are so right." Evander concurred as the two made their way out of the dungeons, skipping over the trick steps that they had reacquainted themselves over the past week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I really need to go do RL stuff...


	5. Haze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't own anything.

Felix found himself lounging leisurely on the tabletops of one of the Potions benches in the deserted classroom after having cleared off any potential contamination on the tabletop with an _Evanesco_ , while Evander stood patiently in front of him, occasionally pacing back and forth.

Evander had always been more of the _active_ sort, anyways, Felix mused.

They were early.

The two boys had ditched their dirty school robes in their dorms after a rather miserable _Care of Magical Creatures_ class, and had donned clothing that they had been accustomed to in their old life. Evander wore a pair of dark jeans, and a green collared shirt that complimented his eyes, which made him look rather Slytherin. Felix had kept his somewhat rumpled shirt, traded his black trousers for a pair of old faded jeans, and lost his tie. He had to shrink the jeans, considering that he had lost a few inches from the de-Aging.

"Honestly," Felix complained, still thinking about earlier events, "I wish we could all just go stomp on those bloody Skrewts. No one in the right mind would want them propagate... And the females, fucking hell..."

Evander laughed, but it was rather pained, "Just wait until they become ten times their current size, have armour and stingers bigger than your arm!"

"I hope you are bloody kidding..." Felix looked hopefully at Evander, as if to expect him to say, 'fooled you', but his friend had replaced his laughter with a serious expression. Felix went on sarcastically, "I mean, I think we would have been safer with dragons – at least their firepower comes from the front end."

Evander sighed.

One reason on why he had switched clothing earlier was that he had been a little too close to the rear end of one of those buggers. He didn't even have enough time to do a _Protego_. He hoped that his clothes were still salvageable via House-Elf magic. Before he could add another lament, his ingrained habits of observation had picked up on their professor, still swathed in the black teaching robes heading for them from the long-winding tunnel which led to his private rooms.

He then shrugged, as another interesting thought began to formulate in his mind. Upon seeing the imminent arrival of his professor, he filed it away for another time.

"Hello, professor," Felix greeted with a measured level of enthusiasm as he didn't want to seem too excited with the prospect of seeing Severus' lab when his professor swept in front of them, just as Evander added his, "Good evening, professor."

"There's a reason why we have chairs..." The Potions Master sniped sarcastically, noting Felix's choice in seating, "Follow me."

Felix leapt athletically off the table ignoring the jibe, and followed Evander and their sarcastically inclined professor down the dimly lit tunnels hewn out of the greenish stone that seemed to dominate the underground world of Hogwarts. They strolled through the Potions Master's office, before pausing at a fork.

The dour professor explained.

"To your left is my private laboratory. The password is 'Rue'. To your right are my quarters. We will have a discussion over dinner first, before I bring you over."

Felix grinned as they headed towards the tunnel sloping downwards to Snape's quarters.

Evander smiled slightly; somewhat surprised that Snape was 'investing' so much in a pair of students, considering his behaviour in class.

_You'd think he hated teaching. This is an interesting development..._

_But then again, his former self had been the ultimate reminder of all of Severus Snape's angst and bitterness..._

Those thoughts led Evander to further assess the past known events of Severus' life. He reflected that if there was indeed 'Fate', it had an odd sense of humour. It was as if 'it' was making amends for the six years of Snape that Evander had in his previous past.

_Ha. Fate apologizing._

Evander almost snickered out loud. This whole time shift thing was really messing with his brain.

_It was nice, having the opportunity to get to know Severus – the person – instead of Snape – bastard and terror of the dungeons, especially to Gryffindors._

Evander's thoughts came to a halt when they reached what appeared to be a dead end, but Severus simply placed his hand against the stone wall. There was a loud creaking sound as the stone wall receded, leading to a doorway that was covered by a dark green piece of cloth.

"The stone recognizes my handprint." Severus said curtly, without further prompting from his pupils.

They passed the barrier of fabric, and the two Ravenclaws found themselves in a surprisingly tastefully furnished room, with hardwood furniture in dark browns, and comfortable black leather couches and chairs. Evander was surprised that the stone floor had given way to maple flooring. The walls of the room lacked the greenish tinge that was found on the stone outside, and was of light grey stone, which gave the room a much cheerier atmosphere. There was a shelf that was teaming with texts and a matching wooden box beside it, housing scrolls. There were a few non-moving Muggle paintings and hangings on the stone wall. Torches wielding long candles served as illumination for the room.

Felix's eyes widened when he saw the gramophone that sat on the coffee table that was surrounded by chairs. There was a stack of records sitting on a shelf beneath it.

_Who knew Snape had such good taste? He certainly doesn't dress like it._

_But I definitely like what I see._

"Missy!" Severus called, much to the pair's bewilderment.

There was a soft 'pop' of Apparition, and a tiny House-Elf, wearing a clean green pillowcase appeared. She curtsied lightly and said in a squeaky voice, "Master Severus called?"

"Did you finish the dinner I asked for earlier?"

"Yes, Master Severus."

"Then can you set it out on the dining table? Our guests have arrived."

Evander smiled at the exchange between the Potions Master and his elf. Missy had disapparated shortly after the exchange, and it was clear from the lack of ice in from his usual tone and the rather jovial attitude of his elf that they had a close-knit relationship.

In short order, Felix and Evander found themselves sitting around Severus' round dining table. Missy was back a few seconds after and with a snap of her fingers, a completely carved roast chicken surrounded by assorted steamed vegetables, baked potato wedges, a bowl of salad that contained mandarins, spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes and a vinaigrette dressing as well as a bowl of cut fruits of all sorts appeared before them.

Severus dug in first, which signalled to the boys that eating was permissible. The observant professor found himself watching both Evander and Felix. They both had decent table manners, which was something he appreciated. They both intrigued him in different ways that he could not articulate. He had a gut feeling that there was very little he could teach Felix regarding the subtle art of Potions, the way the boy brewed could put most Masters to shame, and there was something about Evander that he couldn't place.

There seemed to be a strange aura about the boy. It was normally an aura that radiated from people like Mad-Eye Moody.

_The aura of experience; someone who understood suffering, but fought the good fight._

It was subtle, but it was something Severus easily picked up and appreciated.

He respected Alastor, but it didn't necessarily mean that he had to like him. Alastor certainly didn't return the sentiment, not with Severus' darker past and the Dark Mark. In fact, he usually kept the hell away from old Mad-Eye.

He wondered how a fourteen-year old was able to achieve such a state of maturity.

At least there were things that he could teach this boy regarding his art. He also had a feeling that using _Legilimency_ was an awful idea as well. Generally, as a rule of thumb, Severus would never dream of invading the privacies of others, unless his own survival was at stake.

He shook the temptation away.

He would just have to observe, the old-fashioned way.

When Evander had finished, he placed his utensils down and said, "My compliments to Missy. She's an excellent cook."

Severus nodded, "She is. So, where to begin?"

"We could," Felix was still eating, "Talk about what Evander and I will be doing lieu of Potions class."

"In preparation of writing the OWL this year, I will assign you chapters to read, questions to consider, and you may have a choice in choosing the weekly essay topic, provided that it's related to the week's readings in some way. I will also assign you Potions to brew. You may have access to the laboratory at anytime, even after curfew. I've already spoken to the Headmaster about these arrangements. He is," Severus winced, "Glad that I have taken on two more students."

"Sounds fair," Felix observed.

"I expect nothing but the best from the pair of you. No excuses." Severus said sternly.

"Of course," Evander said dryly, "Nothing but the best."

Felix kept mum, suppressing the sudden wild urge to break out into hysterics.

"I should show you two the lab." Severus got up abruptly from his chair, and the two boys followed him out of the quarters.

* * *

The lab, much to Evander's surprise, was large and spacious, made up of the same stone that had been found in his professor's quarters. It consisted of two long lab benches, with black resistant surfaces, shelves suspended above the table from the ceiling and metal cabinets underneath the tabletops. Various ingredients, apparatus and textbooks abounded neatly in the shelves. The Potions Master had also furnished the area with pots and trays of plants; including a few ceiling suspended bowls which contained long tendrils of green matter of various lengths, some of what almost reached the floor. Evander mused that some were grown for ingredients, while others were purely for aesthetic purposes.

Felix wandered around the space, with a half-wistful expression on his face.

Severus had shown his students the locations of most of the apparatus, the location of his storage room (another stone slab door, but this time, keyed to both Evander's and Felix's palms as well) and handed both of them a lab book, bound with leather, with pristine sheets of ruled creamy parchment.

"You are also to write down everything you do in the laboratory. If you deviate from conventional recipes, you will explain why in your books. Any experiments you do in here should always be notated. I will check your books when you two hand in your weekly essays. And these books are not to leave the lab. Is this clear?"

"Yes sir." Evander and Felix nodded.

Felix knew it was common laboratory etiquette to leave lab books in the lab for academic research and convenience reasons.

He wandered off to the back of the laboratory, where the Potions Master had several cauldrons in various stages of brewing. He passed a box-like machine that he recognized as a cordless centrifuge, and he was slightly surprised – considering that integration between Muggle-Magical methods didn't really come to fruition until five years after Voldemort's destruction, although he was aware that many Potions Masters beforehand were already rifling through Muggle journals to dig out better and and more innovative ways and concepts to improve their craft.

Evander and Severus followed Felix, who was now currently wafting the aromas of the brews towards him. "Spicy smell, white opaque substance... Pepperup Potion... needs one sprig of heather." Felix mused, before peering into the next one, which Evander saw a vicious fluid that had a foul smell. Felix continued his observations and conjectures. "Putrid shade of green... smells like formaldehyde, looks like the beginnings of a Skele-Gro Potion, but judging that it's being brewed in a silver cauldron, my best bet would be on Anti-Nausea Potion, which at this stage is liable to make one vomit."

"That's Hangover Potion, and that's Dreamless Sleep," Evander interrupted Felix, pointing to the next two cauldrons along the line.

He would know, considering he had brewed enormous quantities of those Potions in his previous life. He, for the most part, had brewed everything he consumed. It had been excellent training for his young Trainee Auror days.

Severus, who had been observing his students, with his usual quiet look of feigned disinterest, quirked an eyebrow when Evander had discerned the next two Potions so quickly. Those Potions were barely a quarter of the way done, and could have easily been mistaken for other brews.

_How odd is that it's those Potions he picks out so easily?_

"So, what are we making this week?" Felix finally asked, after scrutinizing all the compounds.

"Brew whatever you like this week, or help me finish off Madam Pomfrey's list, that's written on the blackboard over there." Severus gestured behind them to a portable blackboard on wheels. "I am, unfortunately, a little behind." He then turned to look at the clock which hung above the fireplace located at the centre of one wall. "I've got essays to mark. Don't blow the place up."

The last sentence was said with a semi-serious tone with a smidgeon of what Evander picked up as – _amusement_.

When the Potions Master had finally walked out and the door was safely shut behind him, Evander loosened his tongue.

"Did he just... make a joke?"

"I think so..." Felix brushed his chin with the tip of his quill, "It's so bizarre."

Felix then sighed, and took a more thorough look around Snape's lab. It was years since he had stepped foot in a proper laboratory, let alone worked at one. He had made Potions, especially for his fellow Aurors, but usually under hastily built and sub-optimal conditions.

Just physically being in the room seemed to ignite a flurry of memories that Felix had kept under lock and key for years.

_The dynamite that blew up the metaphorical door._

_The day that he had successfully created a variant of a possible nerve-regeneration Potion – the pinnacle of his research career, the day he had finished his Mastery, hours spent fooling around with his wife in his own lab..._ _There had been so much promise then, so much potential, so much to look forward to..._

_The 'yesterday' where he had... everything..._

He had set up his dream lab in the basement of the beautiful house in a quaint little village in France many years ago.

_The house in which, he had returned home one winter's night to find her dead. Rookwood had tortured her, before killing her with a knife. He recognized the telltale signs of Crucio._

_The distinct scarring pattern... It had been a violent, angry scene._

_It had been brutal._

_He had been crazy with denial. The anguish didn't kick in until days later._

_No one had seen any sign of Rookwood, since then – despite the best efforts of the French Law Enforcement, and other agencies._

"You are... really losing it." Evander observed, as he watched Felix's expressions change dramatically during his chain of thoughts. There was no need for Legilimency to know what Felix was thinking about. He then paused to look at the blackboard where the list of Potions that needed to be made, "Calming draught is an option, tonight."

Evander lazily curled his index finger, and his leather book moved towards him, and flipped open. He began to draw a flow chart of the steps required to brew Calming Draught from memory. He then hunted around the shelves for a Medicinal Potions text to ensure he had parts of the recipe right before making a few basic modifications to accelerate the process. He then fetched a copper cauldron and the ingredients needed from the shelves, cabinets and the storage room, while Felix was wrestling with his inner demons. It wasn't until Evander added in pure water from an _Aguamenti_ into a beaker until Felix spoke hoarsely, seemingly to no one.

"Some Auror I am."

Evander looked curiously at Felix, whose head was bowed downwards towards the lab bench, as he continued to toss an assortment of dried plant matter into the cauldron.

"The first time I am in the lab again... it made me think about... the old days. I had a lab in my old house. And that thought was enough to trigger the day I..."

Felix choked, but Evander finished his sentence for him, "You found her murdered."

"It's so difficult. I haven't had such a realistic flashback for over two years, but there seems to be triggers everywhere... tonight." Felix admitted, rather slowly.

Evander nodded sympathetically, as he lit the flames underneath the cauldron. "You've buried the pain in your life for too long."

"I know." Felix sighed, "I came back to England to forget. I am a coward... A Merlin-damned bloody fucking coward!"

"It's natural to run from pain." Evander mused, "No one willingly endures it. It's an instinctual defence. Why do you think alcohol is so bloody popular?"

Felix laughed bitterly, and then lapsed into silence. The only noise between them was the gentle simmering of Evander's cauldron.

"I wish..." Felix said, "I had closure. To see her, one last time – to say goodbye, or at least..."

"Kick Rookwood's sorry ass to hell," Evander finished again, picking up the glass stirring rod from the clean metal tray sitting beside his cauldron.

"Yeah, I guess." Felix pulled out his own lab book, and started drawing his own brewing diagram, annotated with the abbreviations and shortcuts from his brewing days, "It's so displaced though, the fucker wouldn't even know why in this reality."

"Well, prevention is the best method. We have a new life to live, after we finish our business. I intend to make the most of it." Evander reflected, slowly, "Fuck being a pawn in Voldie's or Albus' schemes. I've got places to see, nuisances to kill..."

"And you used to speak so highly of him..." Felix changed the subject, still writing with his eagle feather quill.

"I don't deny it. He was a great man." Evander crushed several silvery beans on the wooden chopping board that he had retrieved from the centre of the bench, beneath the shelves, "But he was a ruthless chess player. Funny how it takes a decade to realize things..."

"Yeah... I know." Felix nodded.

Felix and Evander stayed until midnight, before heading back upstairs to the Ravenclaw dormitories, leaving the Potions to simmer for a day or two.

* * *

"Please tell me, why the hell did Fred Weasley think this was a good time to hold Quidditch practice?" Felix mused while stifling a yawn to Evander on the way down to the grounds at six in the morning, with their broomsticks under their arms.

"The early bird catches the Snitch." Evander laughed, knowing very well that Felix never functioned very well in the mornings.

"Fuck you," Felix was forced to laugh too, "And your early bird comments. If you don't know why, then say so."

Evander permitted himself a small smirk. He enjoyed poking fun.

_It almost beat assigning paperwork to hapless subordinates._

When the two finally reached outside, Evander mounted his broom and kicked off, soaring comfortably. Felix, shivering from the coldness of dawn, added a warming charm to his robes, before flying after Evander.

"I wonder who our third Chaser and Keeper are," Evander said when Felix caught up; "Fred said he found our missing pieces."

"Hopefully not Crabbe or Goyle..." Felix mused, "Communication would be difficult."

He mimed a serious of grunts.

Evander laughed, "Give Fred some credit... "

"Well, we shall see in a few moments." Felix smiled wryly.

When they arrived at the pitch, Fred was already there; his Cleansweep perched carefully in his lap. His freckled face lit up upon seeing the pair of Ravenclaws.

"So, who did you get for Keeper and Chaser?" Felix asked, curiously, stopping his broom in front of Fred.

"Who's our second Chaser?" Fred replied with a question.

"I asked you first," Felix said, rather seriously.

"I asked you second," Fred grinned, mimicking Felix's tone.

As the pair was bantering rather juvenilely – neither achieving their objective, Evander soared around the pitch. He flew to the broomshed, where the box containing Quidditch equipment was being held, intentionally left there for League team practices after much debate amongst the House Quidditch captains. He fetched the box and zoomed back, catching the eye of Hannah, who was flying on her own Cleansweep towards the pitch.

He gave her a friendly wave. She yelled a greeting back.

"Hannah Abbott?" Fred looked surprised to see the Hufflepuff, "I didn't know she played!"

"Oh you will be surprised, very surprised," Felix said with some amusement, rather quietly to Fred.

Jason showed up a few moments later. Finally, before Felix could throttle the secretive Weasley, the pair of Slytherins showed up. Evander smirked with amusement that Fred had managed to recruit Felix's younger self, and Daphne Greengrass.

He covered his laughter with a convincing cough.

"No way," Felix muttered quietly to Evander in total disbelief.

The latter almost choked.

"Hey Fred," Daphne greeted the redheaded, freckled Weasley twin. She carelessly ran her fingers in her long dirty-blonde hair, a habit that Felix knew that she always had.

"I believe we are the Chaser and Keeper you guys are waiting for." Blaise gave a small reserved smile, considering that he wasn't used to talking with people outside his own House, "And you are Evander, our captain, right?"

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you," Evander nodded, noting that it was awkward that he knew more about his teammate than his teammate knew about him.

He then began to wonder what the criterion for separating identities was.

_Felix wasn't 'Blaise'. Evander certainly wasn't 'Harry'._

_Not at this particular time and place._

"Daphne, and Blaise, right?" Jason reached out to shake their hands, considering that he was the only other sixth year, next to Fred.

"Yeah," Daphne smiled, "So apparently Fred said I was to be the third Chaser, which leaves this lump here, the Keeper. Luckily, he's fairly good at all the positions."

Fred and Jason snickered. Even Hannah smiled.

"Hey!" Blaise looked indignantly his fellow Slytherin, who merely smiled angelically back. Evander smirked at Felix, who quickly whispered, "I had Daphne problems back then."

"How droll," Evander grinned teasingly, "Nothing like a tease to break the ice. I like her already."

"Shut up," Felix grumbled.

"So, let's get going then," Fred finally cut in.

Practice consisted of a few simple flying drills that Fred and Evander had decided upon the day before, and a rather vicious free-for-all Quaffle battle between the six non-Keepers versus Blaise, who had his hands full. Fred and Jason then broke away from the game to fetch the bats and the Bludgers. They took turns aiming them non-discriminately but strategically at the people mobbing the hoops, getting used to each others' quirks and preferred strategies.

And Felix was right. Hannah played Chaser like a demon possessed. It was almost impossible to wrench the ball away from her. She knew all the tricks in the book, plus had a few more up her sleeve.

Evander made a note to focus on 'teamwork' during the next practice.

She ended up scoring most of the goals until Evander conjured up a second Quaffle, and tossed it playfully at Felix.

"Hey, this is totally cheap," Felix complained to Evander after realizing seconds later that there were two Quaffles present, "You don't go around and conjure random balls in the game!"

"Pity," Evander repossessed the ball from Felix's loose grip and corkscrewed over to the hoops. Blaise, who had his eye on the other real Quaffle, was completely baffled when Evander scored.

* * *

After a quiet but enjoyably productive morning of looking at the month's issue of _Ars Alchemia_ , _Nature-Methods_ , and the _Journal of Cell Biology_ , Severus Snape got up from his comfortable couch, and headed off to his laboratory, for a late morning brewing session with the intent of finishing up everything for the Infirmary.

He hoped his pair of Ravens hadn't messed the place up too much.

"Rue," He muttered at the wooden door that led to his laboratory.

The door swung open.

For the most part, the benches were clear, except for seven new cauldrons that were in various stages of simmer. He was surprised, and slightly pleased that his students had half of Madam Pomfrey's requests started.

He was even more shocked to discover that the other half of said list was already finished, and decanted into the appropriate flasks on the other side of the bench. There was a piece of parchment in Evander's scrawl that said:

_We will be back this evening to work on what we've left behind. We weren't sure where your fridges or incubators were so we put the appropriate Temperature charms on the flasks._

_\- Evander & Felix_

And that, pretty much left Severus with nothing else planned to do, except to take the completed Potions up to the Infirmary.

And, maybe, tend to his plants.

_But how did they finish them so quickly?_

The Potions Master went through many drawers and cabinets under the benches before he found Evander's and Felix's notebooks. He removed Felix's book, considering that the boy had neater handwriting.

That turned out to be a bad idea.

There was cramped blue ink everywhere. There were flow-charts, calculations, and what Potion Masters call the Stagger, a methodology used to coordinate the brewing of multiple Potions at once. And much to Severus' annoyance, Felix wrote in shorthand, a common method of abbreviating steps amongst experienced Potions brewers and the boy seemed to have an odd tendency to cross between French and English which made things doubly confusing, even though Severus was fluent in both languages.

_Every Potions Master hated reading another's lab book. Everyone had different methods of shortening things, which was why people published things so other people could read them in a universal format._

He reached for Evander's book.

The pages revealed a different mindset, altogether. It was clear that Evander was very fond of Runeology, and used Runes to do all of his calculations, and to determine how to stagger a series of Potions. Severus reflected that using Runes for solving real-world problems wasn't usually emphasized onwards until sixth year, and even then, the students solved simple problems.

No fourth year should know enough about the subject to create an algorithm for optimizing the multi-brew process. Especially one that worked as well as Evander's had.

Fortunately, for the frustrated Potions Master, Evander's flow charts were not abbreviated, and he was able to follow them with minimal problems.

_He used what as a catalyst?_

Severus looked disbelievingly at one step that Evander had modified for his Calming Draught. The word 'corn starch' was written on one of the catalysis arrows. He reached over to grab the 1L flask that contained the colourless Calming Draught.

It had reduced the brew period of the Potion by twenty-four hours – to one bloody hour?

Everything looked fine.

He popped the stopper and sniffed it. He even procured a sterilized glass stirring rod and tasted it.

Everything was still bloody fine.

_This is bloody insane._

Feeling a slight headache, Severus levitated all the Potions and headed for the Infirmary, without checking the rest of the methodology, considering that everything looked perfect.

He knew he was going to end up needing more of the nice calming Potion that Evander had made last night if he did.

_Bloody corn starch, indeed!_

* * *

"Hey, Evander?"

Evander was sitting in a discreet corner of the Library, alone with his Runic triangle and his new project – a Runic circle – but he was disturbed by another oddly familiar voice.

"Hey Neville, what's up?" Evander smiled fondly at the slightly chubby boy who was obviously a little anxious about something. He found himself picturing the older Neville Longbottom, standing beside Susan, with their two children, close by in the space where Neville currently stood.

_So fucking surreal._

"I am not bothering you... or anything? Am I?" Neville stammered.

"Well, the damage is already done," Evander said with some humor, "Wait, Neville, I was kidding!"

_Well, he wasn't, but still..._

_A little lie made everything better._

The boy had mumbled an apology and was about to bolt, but he stopped. Taking a deep breath, Neville summoned all his courage, and asked.

"I was wondering... could you help me out with Potions? I heard about what happened to you guys last week, and I really, really –"

"Need help?" Evander added helpfully.

"Yeah, I'm fail-" Neville stuttered.

"Don't worry about it. Um... there's a deserted classroom next to the Charms room – do you have anytime tomorrow evening?" Evander said thoughtfully.

_It would be a pleasure to help you, Neville._

"Yeah... We are doing Fischer's Laws or something... I don't quite remember..." Neville said apologetically.

Evander nodded, "Yeah, no worries, meet me there at seven? Bring your Potions kit, because we are going to brew. I will supply the ingredients."

"Thanks a lot, Evander. This means a lot to me." The timid Gryffindor dashed off.

Evander mused that the Neville he had known in the past had grown up a ridiculous amount after the Final War, was one of the bravest people he had the pleasure to have a friendship with, and had came into his own right as a powerful wizard and world-renowned Herbologist.

He turned his attention back on his Runic circle. He had a new foreseeable problem now.

_How to catch a rat..._

He had never particularly been fond of rats. With a smirk that bordered on evil, Evander continued writing in Runes around the entire circumference of the circle, setting up the parameters of what he wanted accomplished, before working on a plausible hypothesis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a lot easier for me to write Resolution at this point... I actually know what happens next, but I won't give too much away. There's going to be a lot more Severus-Evander-Felix interaction (obviously) and definitely interaction with other characters later on as we go.
> 
> I am surprised by how much room there is to explore in time-turning stories.
> 
> I still have to think hard about what needs to happen in my other story, and I haven't had time to do so. (I probably won't get to it till Reading Week, unfortunately) I don't want to just write something for the sake of updating demand. It's gotta be good!
> 
> Feed an overworked undergrad student!


	6. Moving On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No profit derived from such play, unfortunately. Anything familiar belongs to the esteemed J.K. Rowling.

Felix was hunched over a steaming golden cauldron; alternating between methodically counting how many bubotuber seeds he was gently putting into the boiling liquid with his left hand and completing a complex stirring pattern every twenty to thirty seconds with his right.

The procedure was complicated and potentially explosive, which was why Evander was standing warily behind him, his wand at the ready. The Potions Master was wearing acid-resistant dragonhide gloves, a specially charmed black lab coat and a face mask. They had 'borrowed' the safety equipment from Snape's lab, and had nicked the notoriously acidic bubotuber seeds from a locked greenhouse earlier in the day.

"Done," Felix breathed a huge sigh of relief when the Potion turned to the appropriate nauseating shade of green, "Now, I think we can decant this into our ordinary cauldrons and return the rest of the shit back to the lab."

Evander bent down to retrieve the pair of pewter cauldrons that they had managed to find in the 'Room of Lost Things' and placed them beside the golden cauldron. Felix held out his gloved hands to him, and Evander vanished the highly toxic goop from the seeds from the gloves, before killing the flames that were underneath the golden cauldron with a second swish of his wand. Felix manually distributed the contents of the cauldron equally between the pair of pewter cauldrons, being not completely sure of the consequences of using magic to transfer the green substance were.

_Some mixtures reacted very badly when manipulated with magic._

He then finally removed the face mask, and Evander could see that Felix was drenched in sweat, mostly resultant from the hot vapour that had issued from the cauldron.

Evander then procured the magically expanded bag that they had used to lug the contraband over to the _Room_ which was currently in a 'small lab' configuration. With help from Felix, they decontaminated the equipment that they had borrowed from their professor, and placed them in the bag.

_It was only too bad that the Room couldn't supply ingredients, and had provided a very limited supply of specialized equipment._ _He and Felix had gone hunting in the 'Room of Lost Things' for things that were potentially useful a few days back, and stored them all in several expanded bags._

"We will have to leave it to cool till around seven-ish, today." Felix did some mental arithmetic in his head, which involved his fingers after consulting a piece of parchment detailing his theoretical protocol sitting near the cooling cauldron, "Then we need dragon plasma."

"Well, you are the boss of this venture..." Evander said, looking around to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, "Your call."

Felix nodded.

When they headed out of the _Room_ , Felix felt a familiar sensation of someone cracking a raw egg on him, as Evander tapped his shoulder with his wand. Evander than proceeded to _disillusion_ himself, considering that it was long after curfew. He had modified the original charm as well, allowing the caster and the people underneath the caster's charm to see a faint glowing outline of each 'invisible' person.

_Useful for keeping track of your Aurors on stakeout... and to prevent accidents._

He also added a silencing charm to silence their footsteps. After a few steps out the door, his paranoia kicked in completely, and he used a wider range of stealth charms on the pair of them.

If Felix was completely visible, Evander would have seen the boy roll his eyes.

He knew that Felix and himself had permission to be out after curfew, but he didn't relish raising any suspicions about their activities so early in the morning. He also hoped that Dumbledore was in bed, as he had no wish to test his disillusionment skills against the Headmaster's revealing spells, despite being fairly sure his variant was undetectable by any means back in 1994.

In his older and wiser age, he really didn't like unnecessary risk taking.

They reached the dungeons without too much incident, even walking by Argus Filch and his rather grotesque feline. Mrs. Norris had actually sniffed at their direction, but walked onwards, not noticing the concealed individuals. Evander opened the door to the Potions classroom with an _Alohomora_ and had reclosed and relocked the door behind them. The room was lit dimly with torches attached to the stone walls, and the pair made their way through the tunnels. Just as Felix was about to step into Severus' office, Evander yanked him back.

Evander snapped his fingers, and whispered.

"We aren't alone."

"What?" Felix was confused.

"Take a look." Evander pointed in towards their supervisor's office.

Felix, despite being invisible – either via sight, infrared detection, sound, smell, and etc – cautiously turned his head towards the office. Severus kept an ingredient cupboard in his office, and the usually shut and locked cupboard doors were wide open. He could hear the quiet rustling noises and see Potions ingredients moving seemingly on their own accord.

It took him a few seconds to understand what was going on.

"Mad-Eye?" Felix mused to Evander, "Boomslang. He's found it."

"Yup." Evander agreed, "How much is he taking?"

"Enough for a fortnight," Felix said thoughtfully after seeing two pieces of Boomslang suddenly vanish, presumably into Not-Mad-Eye's invisible pockets. "He will probably be back for more two weeks from today, since it takes a month to brew, and he's probably been staggering them all year long... And you really shouldn't use Polyjuice that's over two weeks old. Compound loses its potency."

Evander did a quick count with his fingers. "He will be back before Hallowe'en weekend."

"And, why is that significant?" Felix asked.

"Oh, you will see... This makes everything, a lot easier than anticipated." Evander said, "Let's go back, and put Severus' stuff back."

"Right," Felix nodded and watched as Not-Moody began to neatly put back everything that he had rifled through, "I almost forgot about the things we took."

"Merlin, Felix, you are awful at this sneaking around business." Evander chuckled, "And I thought all Slytherins were-"

"I was a good boy, until I met you." Felix countered, with a serious expression, which made Evander grin broadly in mirth.

The two of them walked nonchalantly past invisible-Not-Moody, who had no inkling of the conversation that had just taken place several metres away, and headed for the laboratory. Just as they left the office, Evander quickly turned around, pulled out his wand, and muttered something intelligible towards the thief.

"Tracking Charm," Evander whispered to Felix.

"What?"

"A Tracking Charm," Evander said patiently in a louder voice, "You know, that nice bit of magic that you could use to keep track of –"

"I know what a Tracking Charm is, Evander," Felix said exasperatedly.

"Good. I just put one of the newer so-called undetectable traces on our fraudulent friend." Evander snapped his fingers again just as they approached the wooden door, and muttered, "Rue."

Felix simply nodded.

The boys quickly put the stuff away, starting with the valuable golden cauldron.

"Good thing we didn't blow that up," Evander mused, "Or-"

_Severus Snape was going to skin them alive._

"We weren't going to blow it up," Felix said reassuringly, "Trust me, I am a Potions Master."

"Sure..." Evander rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "I felt _so_ reassured during the entire process..."

"I hope it's worth it," Felix mused, "It's going to use up a quarter of the Basilisk skin we got from the Chamber earlier."

"Yeah, providing all your theoretical work is sound." Evander teased.

Felix looked indignant, "I will have you know –"

"Relax, it's probably immaculate... if not perfect..." Evander waved Felix's indignation away.

"Oh, you are so infuriating," Felix grumbled.

"It shows that I care," Evander smiled angelically, which Felix found extremely disturbing, "Now, I want some sleep."

With a wave of his wand, and an incantation, Evander conjured a green hammock that was suspended between the two lab benches. Another wave produced a blanket. He removed his robes, shoes, socks and tie before climbing in, causing the hammock to rock.

Felix shook his head at his former boss as he headed for the bathroom attached to the laboratory.

_Totally mental..._

* * *

Evander was drifting comfortably in the realm of sleep. In the quietness of his slumber he began to hear a rumble, barely perceptible. Thinking nothing about it, he turned over in his hammock, and slept onwards. The noise grew louder, and he was becoming increasingly aware that there seemed to be constant vibrations that seemed to be shaking the hammock around him.

_Was Hogwarts susceptible to earthquakes?_

_Damn... I knew I should have read that blasted book... Hogwarts: A History._

An image of an _I-told-you-so_ older Hermione brought a familiar wave of nostalgia upon Evander.

The shaking and noise intensified in violence with every second, eventually causing Evander to reflexively jump out of his hammock in a rather catlike fashion, wand in hand upon his landing. He quickly realized that his first instinct had been wrong, considering that the ground was perfectly still.

He looked left and right for the source of the nuisance, only to be greeted by Felix's hysterics.

Then his eyes fell upon the culprit that was sitting a few centimetres away from one end of his hammock. The centrifuge was rattling, and sounded like it was on the verge of exploding. The vibrations had caused Evander's hammock to sway.

"Brewing already?" Evander asked and then looked at the clock behind him. He frowned, "It's too early for you."

Felix, who was still howling with laughter, managed to gasp out, "Worth it. Totally worth it!"

"You weren't even brewing a Potion?" Evander shook his head in disbelief.

"It's fucking scary, isn't it?" Felix said rather brightly, "And no, I value my life too much to not screw around with the centrifuge. Probably costs as much as the cauldron we borrowed yesterday, if not more. Getting you to jump out of your hammock was just an unintended side effect."

_Unintended, my ass. Could've bloody well waked me up first._

Evander sighed, and racked his mind for a reason why Felix would need a centrifuge so Merlin-damned early in the day. Centrifuges were used for separating immiscible substances by densities. The Potion they were brewing needed dragon plasma sometime within the next hour and plasma was a lighter component of blood. To get plasma quickly, one needed a...

_Centrifuge._

"Dragon plasma prep?"

"Yup," Felix nodded.

The pair watched the centrifuge for the next several minutes, before the shaking came to a slow and gradual stop. It beeped.

Felix opened the lid, and retrieved two glass vials from the rotor. One was filled with water, which he placed back on a nearby rack, containing tubes filled with differing volumes of water for balancing the rotor. He passed the other tube to Evander, while he himself retrieved another vial from a nearby drawer.

Evander popped the cap of the tube and using his wand, drew off the yellow plasma from the red layer at the bottom and dropped the liquid into Felix's fresh vial. Blood was one of the few substances that could be manipulated with magic without compromising its brewing properties, which was why blood could be stored in _stasis_ charmed bottles for long periods of time in the magical world with virtually no change.

"We better get a move on," Felix mused, after taking a glance at the clock, "If we want to get to class on time. I still want to take a bloody shower."

"The _Room_ first, then our dorm," Evander suggested, as he added a _stasis_ charm to the vial he held in his hand.

Felix had already headed out the door. Shrugging, Evander tucked the vial in his robe pocket and followed.

* * *

"Why do you guys start drawing pentagrams and hexagrams before even looking at the problem?" Evander asked the group of Slytherins sitting across the table from him in the Library with great exasperation after watching them flounder in their attempts to solve their homework.

"Um..." Blaise attempted to formulate an answer, "Because it's cool?"

Daphne tried to come up with a slightly more impressive answer, "Everyone else does it! Even the seventh years!"

Evander wanted to bash his head against a wall.

_Why... why..._

"Because it looks complicated, and therefore, makes us look sophisticated," Theodore Nott concluded, with a trace of wit.

"What he said," Tracey nodded towards her friend.

_Why..._

"Okay." Evander tried again, "Let me put it this way. If you want me to help you guys with your homework, I forbid the usage of any shape with more than four vertices until further notice."

All four Slytherins gaped at Evander as if he had grown an extra head.

Evander ignored the looks of shock, and grabbed a sheet of parchment from a stack nearby. He drew two lines at an obtuse angle. He wrote in a pair of Runes, one above, and one below the apex. He simply pressed his finger against the apex. The lines began to glow and suddenly, a flock of tiny birds flew out of the page.

This was one of the first spell derivations that he had attempted, many long years ago. It was also, one of the easiest.

Evander vanished the birds before they got too far.

All four Slytherins were still agape, but this time for different reasons.

_Awe._

"That was the solution to _Avis_ , the bird conjuring charm," Evander explained, "It was derived from a triangle. See the angle? That's the simplest wand movement possible."

He had memorized that particular solution, as it was a popular party trick that he had used to do back then. But of course, for complicated spells, there was more to consider than a few lines and a few Runic symbols.

Evander also knew that any spell could be cast with virtually no wand movement at all. That particular skill was called _internalization_ , a concept Evander had came across during his attempts to simplify wand movements. It required the wizard or witch to feel or internalize the movements within themselves, and that was enough for a wand to pick up on.

Any ordinary wizard or witch was capable of that. It just required practice.

Lots of it.

_Maybe he should consider writing a textbook this time around..._

Theo finally pulled out his wand. The wand movement that they had been taught for the conjuring charm had been a tad more complicated. He glanced at Evander's parchment, followed the simple wand movement, and murmured, " _Avis."_

A stream of pigeon like birds quietly flew from the tip of his wand. Evander vanished the birds before they could attract unwanted attention from a certain librarian.

"Wow." Daphne said in amazement.

"That is so cool!" Blaise was extremely excited, "And you changed the original spell a bit."

"Yeah, it's so quiet! _Avis_ usually goes off with a bang!" Tracey observed.

"Teach us, oh knowledgeable one," Daphne pleaded with her puppy-eyed look, "Professor Babbling isn't going to ever teach us stuff like that. She's more into optimizing, sorting and categorization applications of Runes."

"Yes, please, tutor us, Evander," Tracey chimed in, "We will work hard!"

"Then learn your basic shapes. Learn how to set up a problem. Insist on the simplest solution possible. Acquire a large vocabulary of Runes. Experimental Runeology is one of the most dangerous fields of study there is and it is notoriously difficult to master. But once you do, there is no limit to what you can achieve." Evander trailed off, thinking about all his own Runic adventures.

When he said that there was no limit, he meant it.

_He still had suspicions that this particular time-shift was due to drunkenness and Runes._

_Never drink and derive..._

It was a mystery that Evander knew may never be solved.

"So... is that a yes?" Daphne asked hopefully.

Evander nodded. Slytherins can keep secrets.

"What do you want in return?" Theo asked.

Evander smiled. Felix had explained Slytherin culture to him. A favour should be always repaid. He snapped his fingers discreetly, just in case.

"Keep quiet about my ability with Runes. I never revealed the extent of my abilities to Professor Babbling in my homework, and in class, even though I get Os in them." Evander replied back, "No mentions of spell-derivation, mum's the word, alright?"

_He used Hermione's work to calibrate what the standard of solutions he ought to be handing in._

All four Slytherins dutifully nodded.

"If anyone asks, say that I am tutoring you guys in Potions. That's a reasonable explanation." Evander continued, "I have time on Thursdays. Deserted classroom beside Flitwick's room after dinner should do it."

"You got it, Evander." Theo agreed, "We can keep quiet."

"Thanks, Evander!" Daphne and Tracey grinned in appreciation.

"So, can you help us with this problem set, now?" Blaise held up the parchment containing the week's problems and waved it around hopefully, "It's due tomorrow!"

Evander released the _Muffiato_ and soon had the Slytherins working on their triangles, after showing them one way to set up the parameters for a certain problem. He then asked them to set up the same problem using a different set of Runes, as additional practice. He pulled out his Transfiguration text when they were all busy, and started working on the essay that was due next week.

He smiled inwardly.

_This was going to be fun._

* * *

Severus Snape walked from his quarters to his lab, with a steaming cup of tea in hand. In his other hand, was a piece of parchment, with a modified recipe for the Calming Draught, based on Evander's flow chart.

_He was going to get to the bottom of this 'corn starch' catalysis business._

When the door to the lab opened, he noticed that Felix was there with a pair of simmering cauldrons nearby. Much to his surprise, Evander was nowhere to be seen.

_This was a first. He had never seen them apart._

He peered over the cauldrons, and realized that they were brews that his fourth years had done this week. Compared to the feat that his pair of students had finished over the weekend, the two that Felix had going on were child's play, indeed.

"Where's Evander?"

Felix almost jumped, but he caught himself and replied simply, "He's got another engagement."

_Damn, that Snape can move quietly._

_And hang on a sec; did he just call Evander by his first name?_

He grinned at the slip.

"Ah." Severus acknowledged and took the opportunity to ask shrewdly, "Would this 'engagement' have to do with helping other students with their Potions homework?"

"I have no idea," Felix answered honestly, and then his own sarcastic streak kicked in, "I am not his wife, Severus."

Felix wanted to kick himself.

_Merlin, he really needed to think more and open his mouth less._

Severus surprisingly looked highly entertained by Felix's sarcasm and feigned ignorance of his student's use of his first name, before mounting some evidence, "Potion essay averages don't go up two whole grade points within two days..."

"Really?" It was Felix's turn to look amused, "One would think that it would be a good thing."

"As a scientist, I'd like to know why." Severus explained, while taking a sip of his still hot tea. He then set the black-grey mug on the lab bench, while gathering a few ingredients from the shelves above, and cabinets below.

"Pity, I can't help in that department." Felix said nonchalantly.

He was getting better at this deflection and lying business.

_Evander is such a good influence._

"Pity, indeed," Severus said dryly.

"Calming draught, professor?" Felix deduced, after his supervisor had set up his cauldron, and spread out the ingredients.

"Back to titles, aren't we?" Severus quirked an eyebrow, "Today, I will examine something most... fascinating."

"And what will that be?" Felix asked.

"How to brew a Calming Draught in an hour." The Potions Master had already fluidly and methodically chopped and diced various ingredients, and was elegantly mixing and stirring away.

Felix decided not to tell Severus that there was a method for cutting down the time even further. The shock might actually induce a cardiac arrest.

"Oh." Felix turned back to his own work, mentally noting that Severus had gone through their lab books at some point within the past week. His supervisor seemed to be more interested in Evander's modifications than his, but Felix knew it was because Severus must have taken a look through his book and given up in annoyance.

It wouldn't be the first time that this had happened. He never really expected Severus to decipher his work at a first glance.

But then again, his method was the hybrid bastard child of both the British and French systems. And the product of both languages.

"So, about those essays..." Severus broke the silence again several minutes later.

"Again with those essays," Felix complained, after throwing down his quill to attend to the conversation at hand.

"Stop playing stupid, Felix. It really doesn't suit you." Severus reprimanded, but with less snark than his usual classroom tones.

Felix shrugged, "So, what if we are involved?"

_Okay, I still suck at this._

"I just want to know if my students are doing their work, by themselves." Severus admitted.

"They are."

Felix and Severus both whirled around to see Evander standing barely a metre away.

_And of course, Evander could move even more bloody quietly than Severus._

_Typical._

Felix had noticed over the past few weeks that Evander had not lost his 'force of presence', just as Severus had been able to sense his maturity, despite the de-Aging. The older Evander had always been able to make an entrance whenever he wanted to, which was a skill that Felix didn't observe in the younger Harry at this present.

Younger Harry preferred attention away from himself.

It was something that Evander probably figured out during his twenties. Felix had always wondered what caused an individual to have 'presence'.

Evander was shorter than he was, thin and sinewy, relatively good looking – opinions supplied by the female DMLE personnel gossip, not himself, yet he suspected that the majority would like-no-love to get into Evander's pants at some point in their lifetimes, and that went for several blokes as well judging by the results of last year's 'unofficial' DMLE top-shag list which had been generated by the votes of both sexes, and kept a secret from the higher-ups, like Evander – he himself had been surprisingly somewhere on the top ten as well – and the 'presence' he was sure was definitely attributed to more than the titles the 'boy who lived' and the 'boy who saved Wizarding Britain'.

Evander had spent his twenties making his own personal mark on Britain; an attempt to carve his own path, after being the victim of fate. Hence, his desire to manipulate magic at its most fundamental level, and his intense interests in Runeology.

He ceased his reflections and turned his attention towards Evander and Severus, who had at some point, finished their discussion regarding essays. Evander had sat down on a stool and was busy committing herbal properties to memory for their Herbology quiz the next day, while Severus was busy writing a copious amount of notes in his own cramped handwriting and tending dutifully to the gently simmering cauldron beside him.

He got up from his stool to tend to the brews that he had started earlier. He smirked to himself.

_The whole scene felt rather domestic._

* * *

Evander was sitting at one of the benches in the deserted Potions classroom on a Saturday morning, after a rather intensive Quidditch practice in the rain and mud. He had _vanished_ the mud off his waterproof robes and headed down to the dungeons, while Felix had opted to return back to the dormitory for a warm shower, with both of their shrunken brooms in his pocket.

He stood up, and headed for the blackboard in front of the classroom. He picked up a piece of chalk, and with a practiced motion, drew a perfect circle. He then proceeded to draw several lines within his circle. When he started to inscribe the insides with Runes, he was very aware that there was another presence in the room.

He immediately turned around, his own set of casual dark gray robes whipped around him, to see Draco Malfoy stop in his tracks. Draco simply stared at Evander, and his eyes moved towards the chalk on the board.

This was the first time they had stood face-to-face in this new reality.

"You really shouldn't be messing around with my godfather's board." Draco finally said, with an emphasis on the word 'godfather'.

_Typical Malfoy._

Evander merely shrugged, and added a few more Runes into the circle. Upon still being able to feel Draco's gaze on his person, he asked wryly, "Can I help you?"

"I don't understand you, Murphy." Draco said with much thought, "You hang out with the mudbloods, somehow got all the Houses, including mine, to cooperate into forming Quidditch teams with blood traitors, and several of my Housemates stare at you when you walk by."

Evander ignored Draco's use of the word 'mudblood', even though he hadn't heard the insult in years. It was such a 1990s thing. He decided that he won't fault his former 'enemy' for the circumstances he grew up in. And yes, he was aware of his Slytherin ducklings – Blaise, Theo, Daphne and Tracey – glances whenever he walked by.

People always did when he showed them his Spell-derivation skills.

_It was funny how most wizards and witches think of magic as immutable. As if incantations, wand movements, and spells from textbooks were set in stone and could not be changed._

_Oh, how wrong they were._

Evander looked patiently at Draco, shooting the boy a look that said 'please do go on, it's fascinating.'

"And you got my godfather to accept you and Wedgewood as apprentices." There was a slight twinge of jealousy in the boy's voice, "He never laid out any special tutelage for me... It's not fair."

"The thing is... Draco," Evander finally interjected severely but not coldly, "Is that, things are usually earned in life. They don't get handed to you on a silver platter. Sure, you have plenty of money, connections, and even a bit of prestige. But those are products of circumstance, and can easily be taken away, as it was given. Things change. And there are things in life you can't buy. Like your godfather's respect."

Draco blinked, as Evander turned around to inscribe a few more Runes on the board. The Malfoy scion was completely flummoxed by what the strange boy said. He wanted to say something derogatory and haughty back to the mysterious Ravenclaw, but something about Evander made him stop and actually process what the boy had said.

Not even his godfather dared to speak to him like that, even when he himself knew he was being a brat. And it wasn't like the Ravenclaw had insulted him or anything...

Evander mused that this entire scenario was reminiscent of the times where he was imparting life-lessons to the younger generation, like Teddy. They had laid out their woes, their confusion, and their behaviour after his advice was exactly the same as the Draco behind him – slightly dumbstruck.

Evander knew instinctively that his last sentence had hit Draco the hardest.

"What do you know about respect?" Draco finally asked, "You hang out with –"

Evander cut in, knowing exactly which direction Draco was going again. "A hell of a lot more than you, Draco. Respect is something you give and earn in return. And I respect your godfather more than you'll ever fathom."

He trailed off... deep in thought, before turning back to board.

After several minutes, Draco slowly walked out of the classroom without another word. Neither of them realized that their entire exchange had been heard by one Severus Snape, who had been standing close to the mouth of the tunnel leading to his personal spaces. Upon seeing his godson leave, Severus headed back towards his own quarters, with interesting thoughts of his own.

* * *

On Sunday, Evander and Felix were sitting in the Quidditch stands along with the numerous other students of all years and Houses, watching as _Harry's Hellions_ took on _Roger's Rough Riders_ , the official opener game of the Quidditch League. The rest of Evander's team were all sitting nearby, all eagerly scouting the talent on both teams, interested in developing strategies against visible weaknesses for their future games.

"Pity George couldn't end up on Harry's team," Fred was saying behind Evander to the blond haired and blue eyed Jason. "Harry ended up choosing my little brother instead."

"Ronald?" Jason pointed towards the hoops on Harry's side, "He's got decent talent as a Keeper, judging by the first mess of a game we played."

"Hey, Evander, can I sit here?"

Evander looked up to see Neville Longbottom gesture towards the empty seat beside him. Evander nodded and gave the shy Gryffindor a friendly grin, "Of course, Neville."

"Thanks a lot." Neville looked relieved, "I wasn't sure where to sit, since everyone is all over the place."

"Ginny isn't too bad a Chaser, mind you," Fred remarked loudly with a hint of pride to his fellow beater, "Could go professional, if she worked hard."

Evander found himself automatically scanning the skies until he spotted a familiar red-headed girl with the Quaffle in hand. He had completely forgotten that his ex-girlfriend was playing for Roger Davies.

The truth was that he hadn't thought much about her over the past month that he had been here at Hogwarts. He had been busy, tutoring students, working on solutions for his plans, running his Quidditch team, brewing Potions for Severus and trying to fit in.

Flashes of old memories surfaced despite his will.

_The day after Voldemort's Fall, they had walked through the carnage of war, quietly, each mourning their own loss, while holding hands._

_Flying together, outside the Burrow, at twilight._

_Visits to Hogsmeade while Ginny was finishing her Seventh year._

_Ginny's first professional Quidditch match._

_There had been champagne, flowers, scented candles... and afters when they returned home – 12 Grimmauld Place._ He still remembered how she smelled, still remembered the feel of her smooth silky hair in his grasp, her kisses, her touch, and all the little idiosyncrasies that made her Ginny.

He still remembered... everything, in great sensory detail.

_The day where one of his protégé trainees that he had been mentoring was killed on duty – she had comforted him, given him space to grieve, and told him that it wasn't his fault._

And; hence, his work on the _Avada Kedavra_ counter.

_The day when Ron and Hermione got married – the pressure had started there._ And things had started going slowly downhill from there.

He blinked, watched her feint cleverly around her older brother and score. There was a massive cheer from the crowds as Lee called out that Ginny had scored, especially amongst the Gryffindors.

He no longer felt the frustration and anger that he had suffered through over the last year. It seemed that with every second he watched her on the pitch, he felt some of his old burdens dissipate and an odd contented fuzziness replace them.

_We had some good times, Gin._

"Um, Evander, the game's over," Neville and Felix prodded the daydreaming Quidditch captain, none too gently on Felix's part.

Evander snapped out of whatever trance he was in, as Felix continued, "Harry caught the Snitch, but Roger's Chasers were far better. Score was damned close, but the Hellions barely scraped by!"

"Are you alright, Evander?" Neville inquired worriedly.

"I am fine." Evander quickly brushed off Neville's concern, "Never been better, actually."

"I just wanted to thank you for Wednesday. I was able to brew Friday's Potion without melting the pot and before the period was done." Neville smiled broadly, "It was even the right colour and consistency!"

"See, I told you that you could do it! Just don't take Snape too personally." Evander was very happy for his tutee's steps towards improvement, "Are we still on for next week?"

"Yeah," Neville nodded, "If you are willing."

"Of course."

* * *

"So, there's a two week simmering period left?" Evander asked the Potions Master when they were back at the _Room_. "And then, what the hell are we going to do?"

Felix shrugged. "We could mail it to him."

"That sounds bloody stupid. Who the hell uses unknown experimental Potions brought via post, sent anonymously?" Evander sighed in exasperation, "You aren't that stupid, I am not that stupid, and he's definitely not that stupid!"

"We could leave it somewhere where he could find it," Felix suggested.

"Now, that's totally reassuring." Evander said sarcastically.

"And we can leave a note," Felix continued.

"And we still wouldn't have our bases covered." Evander argued.

They both lapsed into silence; the only sound was a cackling of the flame as it heated a dark purplish liquid in a large round-bottomed Florence flask attached to a tall glass reflux tube, supported by a retort stand. The exterior of the tube had been charmed to a cooler temperature, and the purpose of the setup was to allow the Potion to boil without losing volume as when the vapours rose up the column, it condensed upon hitting the chilled surface.

"Or, we present it to him directly." Felix finally spoke after much reflection.

"That's an interesting option." Evander mused, "We would actually have control of the outcome."

"Yeah," Felix agreed.

"I think he out of all people deserves a choice." Evander said thoughtfully.

"And, what if he disagrees?"

"Then we will just have to deal with it. Simple. Nothing a little wandwork can't fix."


	7. Reversal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just playing in JK Rowling's toy chest... Don't own.

The cold wind blew harshly against Felix's cheek when the boy walked towards the darkness, illuminated only by the dull light from at the lower reaches of the tower, up the long steep spiral staircase that led to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Evander had ditched him tonight, and any will to do his homework down at the lab had been replaced with restlessness.

He had always been introverted. He personally wasn't sure if that was a condition of nature, or a by-product of the cold environment that he had been nurtured in during his youth. Being sorted into Slytherin had not helped with this propensity whatsoever. Sure he had a few friends – Daphne, Theodore, and Tracey – and he was capable of socializing, with the fluidity, wit and charm expected of the only son of a rich-pureblooded family. Faking it, really – it was all a front. But he was reserved. Even with his friendships, he had always kept a part of himself detached, which often gave the impression that he was cold.

_Until he met her..._

Never had he revealed to anyone, with one notable exception, the miseries of his childhood; of his mother, who spent the majority of her time gallivanting with men unknown, and the rest of it, attempting to form him into the perfect heir, a social tool to further her own means; of his father, a variable unknown, which was particularly troublesome when one was born into a culture where parentage matters, and of his own isolated lonely existence.

He remembered having fantasies where his real father would come and take him away.

As soon as he had finished his seventh, or rather, eighth year of Hogwarts with his NEWTs, he had left England, with the intention to never return. He had inherited some money when he came of age, and his mother, surprisingly after his disappearance, continued to add his monthly allowance to his vault, and sent out the occasional amicable letter or two.

_She never asked him to return._

_It was as if she understood._ When Felix had been much older, he wondered if the actions of his own mother were the result of her own experiences when she had been young. He knew that his mother had been forced into her first marriage, and somehow managed to wrangle her way out with money to boot, which was extremely unorthodox in pureblood high society. Maybe the serial-guy thing was her way of lashing back at the community that had caused her so much misery in the first place, considering that her 'prey' always seemed to be rich, usually pureblooded men. And the reason that she had treated her son the way she had done, was maybe because it was the only way she knew how.

He walked out towards the periphery of the tower. His robes flapped violently in the gusts, but he pushed through.

He wasn't alone though. Someone had already beaten him there.

He made his way to stand beside the black cloaked figure. The person ignored him, and Felix was quite content to ignore himself back.

_This had been his favourite place when he had been younger. Especially on a dark and windy day like this... Alone..._

The clouds obscured any hint of starlight from the cosmos above, giving what was a traditionally romantic setting a gloomy atmosphere. But for Felix, and his other self standing beside him, there was something strikingly beautiful about the darkened skies, the ominous clouds, and the furious lament of the wind.

"Windy tonight," Felix broke the silence many minutes later.

The boy gave no indication that he had heard, and continued to stare into the endless skies.

"Darkness is the absence of light, just as coldness is an absence of heat." Felix mused after the passing of several long minutes, more to himself, than to his younger self, "But the sun will always rise, the next morrow."

Again, younger-him ignored him, but Felix's sharp sight caught a barely perceptible shiver. With a last look at his former self, Felix summoned his wand from his own holster, and placed a _self-regulating_ _temperature_ Charm on the boy's robes, before turning around, and leaving his past behind to the mercy of the elements.

* * *

As the weeks passed, Evander found himself falling into a routine. Saturday mornings were reserved for Quidditch, afternoons were spent doing the weekly Runes problem set with Hermione with Felix sometimes joining them, Wednesday evenings were reserved for Neville, Thursdays for his Slytherins, and to solve the problem of having people bombard them all the time for help, Felix and Evander had decided to hold 'office hours' in the Potions classroom on Tuesdays, after extracting permission from the Potions Master.

Their 'apprenticeship' with Severus was going on reasonably well. On the nights he and Felix had free, they would hang out in the laboratory, and brew Potions from their readings. Evander knew that Felix was getting extremely bored with brewing mundane Potions, but to not completely flummox their supervisor, they had both agreed to abstain from brewing experimental and complex Potions. Felix, finding a loophole with the agreement, had immediately started deriving and pulling out unusual methods to brew the easy Potions.

And the methods weren't necessarily more efficient and cheaper than the original recipes. It was done purely for the sole reason that Felix could.

"We only have four hundred galleons between the pair of us," Felix sat down next to Evander, on the bed, after rummaging thoroughly through both their trunks for money in their deserted dormitory. "I hope that's not all what Fate left us."

"Damn. I've almost forgotten about finances." Evander sighed. "I've never really had to think about it, ever."

"Same here," Felix admitted, "Four hundred isn't a lot."

"No, it isn't." Evander agreed, looking at the lightened and expanded sack that Felix had compiled all the coins in, "It's barely two weeks' worth of my pay, back in the day."

"I had bottles of alcohol that cost well over four hundred galleons." Felix mused and then he some quick mental arithmetic regarding his superior's salary, "Damn, how much money did you earn per year?"

Evander shrugged, "I've always had money. I've actually refused raises, mind you."

"We need to go to _Gringotts_." Felix decided, "I need to know..."

"What makes you think we have a vault?" Evander asked.

"Considering that Fate seemed to have set us up well for Hogwarts, I wouldn't imagine if that extended to money as well." Felix reasoned, "I mean, going to Hogwarts costs several hundred galleons per year, there must be something prearranged."

"You have a point. Anyways, I want to go buy a few things from Diagon Alley anyways." Evander said, "I need some proper ritual chalk for Runes. Sunday morning sounds good."

"Why not the afternoon?" Felix groaned, totally unhappy with the prospect of another early morning adventure.

"Cause, there's a Quidditch match going on, and it's weird if the Captain isn't there to scout strategy." Evander explained.

"Like some help you were last time..." Felix teased, knowing very well what Evander had been thinking about. They had talked about it afterwards.

_Merlin, they were worse than girls._

At least he had Evander in this reality. Knowing that Evander himself kept unpleasant bits and pieces of his past buried within him made the process a lot easier.

"It won't happen again." Evander said seriously, "That chapter of my life is done. Finished."

There was a moment of silence, before Felix said abruptly but honestly, "I envy you." For a split second, Evander could see Felix's mask drop, and a nuance of emotion was seen on his countenance. "You have no idea, how much."

* * *

Severus Snape was sitting in his living room, his usual mug of steaming hot tea placed on a coaster on the coffee table in front of him, several _Ars Alchemia_ journals of varying issue dates spread out in front of him, and in his lap, was Felix's notebook.

He had spent the past hours flipping through old issues of his subscriptions, looking for flow charts that could be comparable to Felix's. The boy absolutely perplexed him. Over the past few weeks, asides from the Potions brewed for Madam Pomfrey, both Evander and Felix stuck to simple fourth and fifth year brews mentioned in their OWL readings, despite his permission to brew more experimental and harder Potions. And he had caught Felix doing odd things, like eating a banana in front of one of his Potions during a critical stage. The boy had eaten the fruit, and dropped the banana skin straight into the bubbling Potion in a very lackadaisical manner.

It had struck him as _theatrical_.

And of course, that Potion came out perfect at the end, anyways. When Felix had decanted the Potion, the banana peel was still there – intact – at the bottom of the cauldron.

It had taken him all of his willpower not to gawk.

Severus had tried duplicating Felix's methods, and had quickly realized that banana peels had catalytic properties when combined with a specific base. It was something new that he had learned that day.

It left him wondering, _how_?

How on earth would a fourteen year old boy know that banana peels could serve as a catalyst for that specific brewing condition? Suggesting such a radical idea would have sent other Potions Masters into gales of laughter.

In fact, Severus had just seen a recently published article in _Ars Alchemia_ regarding the theoretical uses of mundane fruit a week ago. There had been nothing about banana skin written on the paper, but plenty on banana flesh. And even that was conjecture. It had only been a recent trend in Potions to do research on mundane ingredients, instead focusing purely on the magical ones.

Severus flipped another page, lazily, to the next article. And then slowly, he realized that he had hit the jackpot. There was a flow chart on one page of the journal, and with a _duplication_ charm, he replicated Felix's chart on another sheet of parchment. With a red inked quill, Severus immediately proceeded to circle all the similarities between the two charts. There weren't too many, but there were several matching idiosyncrasies and symbols that matched – enough to make Severus suspect that it wasn't mere coincidence.

When he was done, he almost did a double take when he realized which article the chart was from. It was one of the hot papers of last year, which looked into a promising compound that could heal dark curse wounds that could be caused by various dark slashing curses like _Sectumsempra_ and _Crucio._ Theoretically it could even potentially prevent lycanthropy if the compound was administered before the curse could spread throughout the body and hijack all of the cells, inducing the werewolf phenotype. The paper had actually been written by a recently graduated Potions Master, as his Mastery thesis paper. To have a Mastery paper published in _Ars Alchemia_ was one of the rarest and highest honours that could be bestowed on a fledgling Potions Master.

_So Felix had a connection with Aymeri Willem_. _Interesting._

He would keep this information to himself, for now.

Severus then turned his attention back to Aymeri's chart and turned the page, where the chart had been rewritten in plain English. When he was done with that, he turned to Felix's lab book, determined to break the boy's code.

* * *

Early Sunday dawn found Evander and Felix walking through the stone passageway connecting the _Room_ and the Hog's Head. Felix had been astonished when Evander had shown him this latest feature regarding the _Room's_ abilities. In fact, his reaction had been:

"This _Room_ is really bloody magical, isn't it?"

Evander had laughed. The two boys had changed into more inconspicuous clothing once they had reached the room. Evander donned a charcoal grey shirt, a forest green tie that went well with his eyes, a comfortable pair of jeans, and his cloak from his previous life. He was very glad that Fate had saw fit to leave him some of his old personal belongings. He had splurged on the simple, yet elegant dark cloak, with a silver oriental dragon clasp at the front half a year ago, and he had been really fond of it. Felix was wearing a maroon shirt, a shade that Ron would have absolutely hated, and a pair of black trousers. His own expensively tailored dark grey cloak was draped almost carelessly around him, which gave him a roguish look.

"I can't believe I haven't apparated in a month," Felix remarked suddenly.

Evander nodded, "Yeah, we used to apparate everywhere, even to go to the bloody loo."

"Yeah, I miss it." Felix agreed and chuckled, "Pity we can't apparate in Hogwarts."

"Well, we don't have licenses for one, and it's a pity that one cannot apparate in Hogwarts." Evander said thoughtfully.

"Really? Something that the great Evander cannot do?" Felix said in mock amazement.

Evander groaned and added his own observation, "Oh stuff it. I think you've been hanging around with Severus and I for too long. You were never this sarcastic back in our time."

"Well, I was more of the silent type back there." Felix admitted, "Never really had much to say."

"Yeah," Evander agreed, "The silent tall-dark-handsome type, according to all the office gossip I've heard. Keeps to himself, does his job efficiently, and never makes a peep. Apparently, that's the archetype which appeals to the fair sex."

"I totally didn't know that." Felix said with sarcasm, remembering awkward instances where people had asked him out during his days as an Auror, and he had turned them all down, citing personal issues.

"And see, you just did it again." Evander observed, dryly, "Sarcasm."

"Oh, damn you." Felix said, but with a trace of humour.

When the pair reached the end, Evander cast a _disillusionment_ charm on both of them, before carefully pushing open the panel. Sensing that the room in front of them was devoid of life, Evander in several swift movements, pulled Felix into the Hog's Head, shut the portrait that had served as the opening, and crouched behind several boxes of _Ogden's Finest Firewhiskey_. Felix noted that the goat smell of the place was just as strong as it was in the future. Evander snapped his fingers, as he surveyed the scene over the boxes.

"No one's here." Evander finally concluded.

"No shit. It's bloody seven in the morning." Felix added and then looked wistfully at the alcohol in front of him, "Merlin, Firewhiskey!"

He hadn't gone a month without being wasted in years. He also strongly suspected that Evander hadn't either. It was always nice to forget... once in a while.

"And, we are leaving." Evander abruptly dragged his former ex-Auror through the seedy area of old battered wooden tables and chairs, worn wooden floors and cobwebby walls. He cast an _Alohomora_ on the door, and slowly opened it, letting in the rays of the rising sun.

Felix relocked the door behind them. Evander removed the _disillusionment_ Charms when he realized that the streets of Hogsmeade were just as deserted as the pub they had just left. Without warning, Evander grabbed onto Felix's arm, and apparated the pair without a sound.

* * *

The trip to _Gringotts_ was to put it lightly, rather disappointing. After the customary wand and blood tests, Felix and Evander had discovered they owned vaults, but the contents within their vaults were barely a drop compared to the vast lakes of wealth that they had once possessed. In fact, they had realized that Fate had left them with all the money they had earned as Aurors in the past three years. It left Felix wondering if the time-travel had done more than de-Age the pair, but to actually alter their magic signatures and their blood identities so they couldn't be linked to their former counterparts. The scientist within him wondered if his DNA would match up with his former counterpart.

He sighed. As the heir to the enormous fortunes of the Zabini family, he was very unfamiliar with the concept of earning money for a living. And, nope, he definitely did not have enough money to run DNA tests out of curiosity, either.

_And the concept that it was possible to run out of money_.

Likewise, Evander had never had to worry about finances, either. His parents and Sirius had left him more money than he could've used in ten lifetimes, even if he spent every day of those lifetimes shopping. Although, from the average wizard's standpoint, Evander was aware that he had a modest fortune in his vault. As Head-Auror, he did after all; make a decent sum of money.

_They were bloody lucky that they had any money to begin with._

As they were coming out of the bank, Evander looked at the blue expression on Felix's face and commented wryly, "Well, we have to be big boys now, and support ourselves."

"Yeah," Felix nodded slowly, "It's just taking awhile for my brain to grasp that I am not fabulously wealthy anymore."

"It's alright. We aren't exactly knut-less either." Evander mused and then admitted, "You know, I was bloody worried that we didn't have any money at all, asides from the gold we found in our trunks."

"True," Felix agreed, as the pair headed towards the shopping district of Diagon Alley. "It could've been worse. So are we actually shopping now? How fucking depressing!"

An hour later, after they had browsed through several stores, and bought Evander's chalk, a few articles of clothing, and a few advanced books, including the most recent copy of _Ars Alchemia_ for Felix, Evander and Felix were sitting down outside Fortescue's ice cream parlour, with a big bowl of chocolate and vanilla ice cream topped with nuts for Evander, and a citrus sorbet topped with fruit for Felix.

"Ice cream for breakfast – how quaint," Felix dug in with a disposable spoon.

Evander shrugged, "I used to come here a lot before..."

"Yeah, before you-know-what," Felix looked around carefully, revisiting the familiar details of the place from his past memories long ago, before Fortescue had been dragged off by DE. "It's so strange. Fortescue's always had the best ice cream around in Wizarding Britain."

"Yeah... I concur." Evander nodded.

After finishing their ice creams in for the most part, silence, the pair lingered for awhile, before Evander got up. He started heading towards the shadier narrow streets of Knockturn Alley. As Aurors, both Evander and Felix knew the layout of the Alley extremely well and knew that there was rarely much going on in the mornings anyways.

Eventually, Evander pushed open the old wooden door of Borgin and Burkes, and the pair went inside. It was devoid of customers. Evander walked towards the glass shelves, which housed various dark artifacts. He was very familiar with such objects, considering that he had spent the years after Voldemort visiting former Death Eater houses, and confiscating and curse-breaking such artifacts. He still remembered the weeks spent at Malfoy Manor with an assortment of curse-breakers and Aurors, discovering the generations of secrets that the Malfoys had once kept under lock and key.

_It had been an informative experience, although he did his best to avoid the room that Bellatrix had used to torture her victims. The first time he had passed through, he swore he could still hear Hermione's screams, Bellatrix's insanity, and the desperate memories had almost overwhelmed him. It got easier as the days went on, until the dreams had started to haunt him again in his thirties._

As they were gazing at the dark selections, the door to Borgin and Burkes opened again, and Evander heard Mr. Borgin got up from his chair at the back.

"Mr. Malfoy, always a pleasure," The proprietor greeted smoothly. But with Evander's years of learning how to read people, he could tell that Borgin wasn't all-too-thrilled about his visitor, "How may I help you today? I just got this very interesting shipment..."

"Not interested, today, Mr. Borgin. I just want to get an appreciation of these objects."

"I see." Mr. Borgin's tone became a shade colder, but whether Lucius was aware of it, Evander was unsure.

The two men continued to talk about prices of objects, while Evander's mind began to make a few calculations here and there.

"I really don't like that expression on your face, Evander." Felix whispered.

"I am thinking." Evander said back, "Debating."

"That's helpful," Felix rolled his eyes, "Doesn't tell me anything."

"Let's go outside," Evander suddenly decided, just as Lucius was talking about coming back in a few weeks time with more artifacts.

When they were safely outside, Evander snapped his fingers.

"I need something from Lucius, but I am not sure if now is the time..." Evander admitted to Felix.

"How are you going to coerce him into it?" Felix asked, rather naively.

Evander gave him a strange look, "How do you think?"

"And what do you mean, if it's the time?" Felix ignored Evander's question, upon realizing that there was a reason that Evander had been practicing Unforgiveables on arachnids for the past weeks.

"If you want to end Voldemort as soon as possible," Evander said rather slowly and thoughtfully, "We have to ensure that we cover everything we do properly. We can't let Voldemort know that someone knows."

"Because, that will change the events of the original timeline," Felix finally got the gist.

Evander nodded solemnly, "Yes. So we can only do so much publicly. And I don't really want to have the burden of _Imperio_ right now _._ I was practicing with three different spiders simultaneously, and manipulating them each separately yet together is exhausting, especially when you are trying to multitask. It's getting a lot easier though."

Before Felix could say another word, Lucius Malfoy strode out of Borgin and Burkes. He glanced briefly at both Felix and Evander standing at the corner nearby before turning around to head in the other direction. Before Felix could even say Malfoy, Evander had summoned his wand, incanted, and had his wand safely stashed in his holster.

"When in doubt, cast a tracking spell," Evander laughed at the dumbfounded expression on Felix's face, "We still have time."

* * *

Felix entered into the laboratory, to see Evander brewing several fifth year level Potions simultaneously, according to the Runic algorithm contained on the parchment beside one of Evander's cauldrons. He also realized that beside his former boss was an odd wooden square frame that had been tied to a string and attached via a _sticking_ charm on the shelf above. Upon closer observation, there were two brownish-black furry spiders, busy spinning an elaborate web that no natural spider was capable of making.

His eyes widened when he realized what exactly Evander was doing.

Seeing that his partner-in-crime was very focused on his many tasks, Felix removed a fifth year Potions text from his bag and started to work on the week's essay. He rather liked working on Severus' essays, considering that the Potions Master had given them free rein to write about anything that was pertinent to the topics they had read about. It was a very delicate balance between writing about known facts and theorems of 1994, and subtly expanding the concepts further with his own vast knowledge of the field.

It was almost like a game.

A game of cat and mouse between two Potions Masters.

A rather one-sided game, though, considering that the 'cat' didn't even know he was playing. Or maybe, the cat did know. It was hard to tell. Felix knew he was reaching dangerous territory with every essay he wrote, every Potion he brewed and every innovation he attempted. It was as if he was sticking a hot-pink neon-fluorescent sign on his back saying "I dare you to find out my secret. I dare you!" But he knew that Severus was on to him, considering that Severus spent a lot of time in the laboratory just simply watching him make Potions, while Evander had watched the interactions with the very same look of feigned disinterest that Severus had mastered over his years as a professor. He wouldn't even be surprised if Severus had, at this point, deciphered his lab book.

Game aside, Felix had discovered what Evander was finally up to on Thursday nights. It had been another restless day for Felix, and he had been walking along the deserted Charms corridor. He had been surprised to hear familiar voices emerge from one of the rooms, and curiously, he had peeked in.

Evander had been standing at the blackboard, with a Runic triangle drawn on the board, and was explaining in detail on how to simplify the Runes within to simple lines. He had been even more surprised to see that all the students listening were Slytherins. And he had been astounded when he realized his younger self was actually there. Evander must have done something brilliant to attract the attention of 'Blaise', and even Theo, who could be at times, a little arrogant.

And of course, there was Daphne. Felix had a feeling that his former friend was developing symptoms of a crush on Evander, judging by her behaviour on the Quidditch pitch, and the rapt way she listened to her Runes tutor. In fact, Felix had noticed that there were many girls in Hogwarts that were eying Evander in a certain way that he was all too familiar with. Daphne had always had a thing for mature guys. None of the blokes back at Hogwarts the first time around had fit his friend's criteria. She had actually been forced to admit that the closest thing to her standards was their Head of House.

And she and Pansy complained that he was the hardest to please in the significant other department in their year.

_What a hypocrite._

He also knew that Evander wasn't interested in dating the Hogwarts population. He understood. It was awkward. They were nineteen years older than their fellow students, and despite their physical de-Aging, they still felt like their thirty-three year old selves.

Hell, they were closer to Severus in age than their peers.

And he still cared for Hannah, despite all this awkward shit. It had taken him two weeks to come to that particular conclusion. After Quidditch practice last Saturday, he and Hannah had flown around, long after everyone had left. They had flown around the castle, the lake, and even the fringes of the Forbidden Forest. He had also spent a lot of time helping her with Potions, and Transfiguration over the past month, although Susan and Ernie would often jump in.

And during all the times with her, his keen observation skills had caught flashes of the older-Hannah-to-be, and that had been enough to satisfy something in him.

_She's only fourteen..._

_And so are you_. A niggling little voice within his brain said.

He sighed, picked up his old battered eagle quill, and dipped the nib in the little bottle of blue ink. He brought the quill down onto the parchment and wrote the title of his essay down in a flourish.

* * *

"Rue," Severus muttered at the door.

Severus Snape walked through the opened doorway, with the intent of trying out a new brewing technique that he had just read about in _Potioneers Monthly_. Said journal was tucked underneath his arm, and as he walked towards 'his' bench, his gaze fell upon his pair students, who were busy brewing.

There were so many things he didn't understand regarding Felix and Evander. They had been his 'apprentices' for over a month now, and through slips of conversations, and their actions, he was able to get a feel for who they were. He had felt accomplished when he had discovered that Felix must have lived in France in the past, and at some point in his life, was taught Potions by either Master Willem or a further up on the Potions Masters family tree.

The questions didn't stop there, unfortunately.

Once Severus had slowly learned to decipher through Felix's work, he was blown away by the degree of novelty in the boy's work. There had been enough in one of Felix's flow charts to publish at least three different quality papers in _Ars Alchemia_.

_It was... incredible_.

Not to mention the weekly essays. The essays Evander wrote were more along the lines of his expectations, but Felix's...

Felix's essays were truly insightful and original in their construct. The boy was able to link topics and theories together in ways that led to interesting conclusions that Severus had never considered, or heck, the entire Potions community. Of course, it was all written in a speculative manner, but Severus had a feeling that if he were to apply the expanded conjectures practically, they would work.

And there was Evander. That boy had puzzled him even more than Felix had done, especially after the exchange more than two weeks with his godson. It was that one sentence...

" _And I respect your godfather, more than you'll ever fathom."_

That sentence had haunted Severus for the past two weeks. And the way that Evander had said it.

_What had I done to deserve Evander's respect? What did that boy know? And how?_

Severus wasn't naive. He knew what public opinion of him was.

_Greasy bat of the dungeon..._

_Death Eater..._

_Snivellus... the slimy Slytherin..._

And there was more. He had caught snippets of conversation between the two here and there, but never enough to substantiate certain facts. It was enough to make him wonder. It felt like that they had lived another life somewhere, divorced from this present – a life that went far beyond their physical fourteen year old selves. He had noticed Evander's scary Runic abilities, and bits of wandless magic, aside from Felix's phenomenal Potions ability and know-how.

_It was almost enough to make him believe in reincarnation – or maybe even..._

Not to mention that he really envied how Evander handled his bratty and spoiled godson. There had been more maturity and understanding in Evander's few sentences than what most humans obtain in a lifetime.

_It was as if –_

But before Severus could complete his thought, something unusual caught his eye. On the bench that had been defined as _his_ , there was one solitary tiny Erlenmeyer flask, which contained a dark opaque liquid. There was a purplish tinge to the substance.

He put down his journal on the bench.

There was a string tied around the neck of the flask, attached to a piece of parchment. It read in neat printing:

_The Essence of Regret_.

He popped the stopper and sniffed it. He had never seen or heard of the Potion that he had in his hands in the entirety of his life. When he put the flask back down, he felt a familiar burning sensation of his Dark Mark. Against his will, he winced and grabbed at the afflicted area.

_The Mark had been burning more and more frequently within recent months._

"It burns."

Severus was jarred out of his thoughts when Evander's voice hit him like a flaming arrow. He had just realized that both Evander and Felix were staring at him, with a mixture of curiosity and gravity.

"The Mark. It burns." Evander said patiently again, "Increasing in frequency and intensity over the past few months..."

The nonchalant way he said it sent shivers down Severus' spine.

"How do you –" Severus almost gasped.

"He's getting stronger... his most loyal servant has returned..." Evander continued, tonelessly, "And, the game is afoot. In fact –"

"It's already started." Felix finished, "Long before term begun."

Severus was dumbstruck, but he asked the only question that he found that he was capable of asking.

"What the bloody hell is this Potion?"

Felix and Evander looked amused.

"Destroys the dark tendrils associated with Dark curses. Especially excellent for _Cruciatus_ scars." Felix said flatly, "But we were wondering, if it was capable of removing..."

"The Dark Mark," This time Evander jumped in to finish the sentence.

"Aymeri's work..." Severus barely whispered, in his shock.

Felix looked pleased, surprised that Severus knew so much, "Yes, it is. Took him over a decade to get it right."

_Ten years... what is he talking about? Aymeri was barely in his twenties... unless..._ _and could this purple liquid really remove..._

Severus looked at the flask and then at his covered left arm. He slowly rolled up his left sleeve, and revealed the darkening Mark which stood out against his pale skin.

"It's your choice." Evander said kindly.

"But why?" The voice was quiet, part awe and part... disbelief.

It was so un-Snape-ish.

"Because, we feel that you've carried your burdens for way too long. Paid too big a price for one mistake..." Evander explained, "Manipulated by destiny one too many times in the form of two Masters."

"You don't understand..." The anguish was deep, that of a man who believed he was truly irredeemable.

"You only sold out the life of the woman you loved, and her son..." Evander mused, thinking it was odd to talk about himself in the third person.

Severus was now truly shocked. "How much do you know...?"

"Enough to alter the course of destiny," Evander admitted easily, toying with his robe's sleeve where his wand was kept, "Change the future."

And that sentence was enough to confirm all of Severus' suspicions. It all made sense. Evander and Felix were from the future. It explained their maturity, their skills and most of all, their extensive knowledge.

_It explained everything, including Felix's ten years comment._

_Well, almost._

"You make it sound so simple..." Severus looked at the Erlenmeyer held in his hand. "As if, I can wash my mistakes away with this liquid... my regrets..."

"It is a start in the right direction. If Lily's son can forgive you, then anything's possible." Evander permitted himself a small but real smile.

That sentence jarred Severus into motion. He straightened himself out, and turned to look at Evander. He found himself gazing into the boy's eyes, into the same unique shade of green that the girl he had loved once had. It was as if the eyes were a portal to Evander's soul, for Severus could almost see the generally stoic Evander's own struggles, pain, and sorrow reflected back within.

This was a Harry that Severus could respect.

A Harry that truly understood.

There was no need for _Legilimency_.

And he could see the resemblance to the present Harry Potter. But there were enough differences between the two that no one would have ever suspected.

"I look more like my thirty-three year old self, in actuality." Evander said helpfully.

"Harry..." Severus was still in his strange trance, "Potter."

"Yes..." Evander whispered.

With one deft motion, Severus tipped the dark liquid over his Dark Mark.

And fell to the ground, in pure agony.


	8. Illusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything that seems familiar. Kay?

Severus slowly found consciousness returning to him. His acute sense of smell detected a rather unusual fragrance of sweetness lingering in the air around him. It was very strange, for the first thing the aroma had evoked was an old, distant and revealing memory.

_His last apology... The point of no return..._

_Irreversible..._

He knew that olfaction was the easiest to ensnare out of all the senses; the intricate physiological linkages amongst smell, memory and emotion was a potent combination within the brain. He found himself going through every minute detail of the conversation. The way she had indirectly asked him if he was truly going to follow the path that he had been venturing towards the day he had joined the House of the Snakes. The way she had ended their friendship; the look of disgust on her face.

And even, the way she had smelled that day.

And he learned slowly, the true price of following Voldemort. How naive he was... There was no power, no glory, and no happy endings. There was madness, cruelty – no mercy.

And then when that fateful night came when he knew he was truly...

Lost.

He remembered the first day he saw her son. Looking so much like the man he hated so much in his youth. It further reminded him of his own inadequacies, the days of his naiveté, and the mistake that had destroyed him. He knew it was childish to hold a grudge against the boy, but nevertheless, he couldn't master his own actions, couldn't master his own emotions. It was ironic, that he was an excellent practitioner of the duo arts of _Legilimency_ and _Occlumency_ , the subtleties of both required precision and control of the mind, when he could barely act rationally around an eleven-year old.

He felt something soft against the skin of his hands, and something warm covering his torso. His brain immediately registered it as some specimen of blanket. A dull, throbbing pain radiating from his left arm caused him to involuntarily flinch, and forced him to open his eyes.

It immediately precipitated a response. "Felix, he's awake!"

_Evander's voice... No, Harry's._

"The Potion needs a minute!" Felix called back, "Check his arm!"

_Check his arm?_ Severus suddenly had a flashback of the events that had led to this particular circumstance. He distinctively remembered pouring a Potion on his arm, and felt his nerve endings being set aflame. He was no stranger to agony, but whatever that Potion had done, it had caused more pain than any of Voldemort's _Crucios_ had ever done.

He heard the gentle footfalls of someone approaching him.

"Can you get up?"

Severus found himself automatically nodding, and with great caution, he sat up on the black hammock that someone had transfigured betwixt the benches. He found himself looking again at the boy-no-man that had offered him a way out. It was strange, he thought. This was the boy that he had treated badly or plain out-right ignored during when Evander had been at Hogwarts the first go-around, despite his ulterior motives to protect. And yet, Evander had extended a hand out to him, and offered him something he thought he could never have.

_Forgiveness..._

_You are the better man, Harry..._

His head remained bowed for a minute before his right hand slowly reached for his left shirt sleeve. He had just realized that his teaching robes were currently neatly folded on a stool nearby. With painful slowness, he rolled the white cotton upwards, while Evander continued to look on patiently.

He hesitated, before determinedly fixing his line of vision downwards towards the patch of skin.

It was gone.

He was free.

_Free..._

In its place was a patch of irritated, reddened skin, in the shape of the former brand that marked him supposedly for life. Severus knew he could gaze at that pristine area of skin for the rest of his life. He could still feel the pulsating dull pain that had jolted him earlier, but it was bearable.

Felix had then walked over, and handed a vial of a strange viscous substance over towards him. He took it, unstoppered it, and the aroma that had wakened him hit him full force.

"It's an improved variant of the Essence of Dittany," Evander explained, helpfully.

Severus slowly stuck a finger into the creamy substance, and with care, gently covered his inflamed skin with the Essence. The relief was instantaneous, and the redness gradually faded.

"What do you know," Evander mused dryly to Felix, "It works."

"Of course it works," Felix said, "I brewed it."

"You are entirely too smug for your own good," Evander complained, "Damned smug Slytherin!"

"Whiny Gryffindor," Felix almost stuck his tongue out, but remembered at the last second that they weren't alone.

_Slytherin..._ Severus turned his attention from his unblemished skin to the Master that had brewed both Essences that had made everything possible. He had just realized that if Evander was Harry, then Felix definitely wasn't Felix. He found it fascinating that Evander's time travel partner was a Slytherin.

"Trying to figure out who I am, Severus?" Felix looked highly amused, "I am disappointed that my former Head of House can't recognize me."

Evander had laughed.

Severus observed that Felix was taller than Evander, darker in complexion, with eyes of a shade of brown that were so dark that they were almost black. His eyes, like Evander's, were the only feature that they possessed that truly reflected the experiences that they had both lived through. He found himself scanning through his mental catalogue of Slytherins that had shown some aptitude in Potions. It took him a moment to realize who Evander's time-travel partner was.

"Blaise Zabini."

"Very good, professor," Felix said indulgently, in a way that had caused Evander to choke.

"You must be a Master..." Severus mused, "A more than adequate Potions Master..."

"I am," Felix knew that such a sentence coming from Severus Snape was a rarity. He then sighed, remembering that he no longer possessed such credentials. "Or at least, I was..."

Severus then asked, in an attempt to assuage his curiosity. "Would it do any good at all to ask how you've managed to reverse your biological clock, in addition to your sudden appearance into the past?"

"No can do," Evander shook his head, "We have no idea how we ended up here. Only wild guesses."

Severus sighed, "So, I suppose the next logical question to ask would be: what do we do now?"

Evander looked thoughtfully at the Potions Master, before summoning his own wand, "First, we should keep your severance from Voldemort a secret. There's too many DE running around and there's Albus." With an easy flick of his wand, a _glamour_ of the Dark Mark appeared on Severus' left arm. "And then, I guess we must finish old Mouldy-warts, eliminate all of his minions, and go live our happy lives like we were meant to live them – on our terms."

Severus looked with some amusement at the fake Dark Mark on his skin, and smirked at Evander's nickname for his former Master. "An interesting proposition, indeed," He remarked after a few long silent minutes. "Happiness..." He then enunciated the word slowly, savouring each syllable. "What a foreign concept."

* * *

Evander stood in Severus' office, staring in concentration at a piece of parchment that he had in his hands. After going over the Runic circle with care to ensure nothing was wrong with his work, he removed two pieces of chalk from the pockets of his school robes and placed them on the floor. He summoned his wand from his sleeve, and levitated a few pieces of furniture around so that he had a large area to work with.

Conjuring a long ruler, Evander used his piece of black chalk to draw a square grid that encompassed half the floor area of Severus' office. With his red chalk, he knelt down on the ground and painstakingly copied the Runes and lines from the parchment. The nice thing about Runic chalk was that unlike regular chalk, was that it did not smudge, and the only the person who owned the chalk could remove the marks it left. Evander knew that Runic chalk was almost classified as a Dark object, because in order to activate the chalk, one needed to spill a drop of blood on them. It was possible to draw Runes via normal stationary, but Evander personally preferred the perks of the traditional chalk.

After a good thirty minutes, Evander got up, and vanished the gridlines with a lazy flick of his wand. The red chalk stood out brightly against the dull stone grey floor. He then walked the perimeter of the Potions' Master's office, drawing dashed lines, and defining the corners to mark the area the Runes were meant to affect.

With another wave of his wand, the red marks became invisible, and Evander returned all the furniture to the original places in the room, just as Severus entered his office. The Potions Master wore a scowl on his face, evidently very displeased with his latest class of dunderheads. He didn't spare a glance for Evander, when he walked through his office. With a discreet flick of his index finger, Evander could see the barely perceptible shimmer of the Runic lines as his ward activated.

He was very satisfied when Severus was able to walk through the ward. With another flick of one of his digits, he deactivated the ward, and followed the older man to the laboratory.

When he walked by Felix, who was brewing several complex Potions, some for Madam Pomfrey, and a few practical ones for themselves while reading a thick Muggle textbook on neurobiology, Evander said cryptically, "It looks like it worked."

Felix merely nodded, but Evander knew that Felix was extremely pleased by Evander's confirmation, and Severus, who was busy with his own Potions at the other bench, quirked an eyebrow in bafflement.

He had no idea what Evander was talking about.

Severus mused that despite knowing the true origins of Evander and Felix, he really didn't know what the hell the pair was up to half the time. It was very difficult for him to reconcile the fact that the Harry of now grew up to be this annoyingly secretive, surprisingly efficient and competent personage that stood barely a metre away from him.

* * *

The House tables were brimming with conversation after the arrival of the delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons on the penultimate day of October. There was much squealing and finger-pointing amongst the students of Hogwarts, when they realized that the internationally renowned Bulgarian Seeker was part of the group that had arrived at Durnstrang, while the students of both schools wandered around awkwardly, unsure of where to sit.

Evander and Felix were sitting at their usual spots at the Ravenclaw table, hardly listening to Stephen talk avidly about Viktor Krum's exploits with his fellow Housemates. Several of the blue-robed Beauxbatons students, probably finding something in common with the blue banner of Ravenclaw, sat down at their table. Evander suddenly became aware of an odd, slightly familiar sensation. He turned around, towards the source and he saw.

_Fleur._

Of course, the other boys were completely taken off guard when the beautiful blonde had finally sat down several chairs down where he was sitting. Evander noticed his fellow male Housemates, suddenly stare and even drool at the alluring female in their presence. He noted with amusement that Roger Davies had almost dropped his glass full of water, and very much like Pavlov's dog when the bell rang, started to salivate. He then turned his attention to Felix, who seemed to be the only other male sitting at the table that had spared no interest in the bewitching newcomer besides from a precursory glance.

_Very interesting..._ Evander mused. His brain began to think up theories for this newfound phenomenon.

"Nargles got their brain?" Luna, who had been sitting across from Evander, remarked, "They generally like mistletoe, but they do funny things sometimes... I always thought that boys were more susceptible..."

Evander grinned. This was the first Luna-ism that she had managed to throw at him after his two months as a Ravenclaw. They had passed by each other with simple hellos, and Luna usually ate with the third years, so there had never been an opportunity to converse about Crumple-Horned-Snorkacks. He wasn't quite sure why Luna had moved from her normal seat tonight, but then again Luna always had her reasons. "I think you may actually be onto something, there," Evander mused, with great humor. "I guess Felix and I are very inhospitable places for Nargles..."

Luna tucked a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, and looked over Evander and Felix critically. "You guys look clear to me."

"What the bloody hell are Nargles?" Felix finally interrupted, totally perplexed.

Evander and Luna merely shared a grin, rather reminiscent of two close friends sharing an inside joke. Felix sighed and huffed comically, "Fine, don't tell me."

"Don't mind him, he's overly dramatic..." Evander ignored Felix's glare.

Luna gave the former Slytherin a serene smile, and a wink, leaving Felix more confused.

By this time, the food – a mixture of Slavic, French and the usual Hogwarts fare had graced the table. Seeing that all the other blokes seemed too mesmerized to care about the food, Evander and Felix tucked in heartedly, with Evander taking from the same dishes as Felix had taken. Considering the man's taste in food when ordering in the Kitchens, Evander figured that Felix knew his foreign cuisine.

After dinner, and after the detailed explanation of the rules and expectations of the Triwizard Tournament, Evander and Felix vacated their House table, and headed downstairs to their dungeon hangout, with excuses to their fellow Housemates that they had some Potions projects to attend to.

* * *

Much later in the evening, Severus found himself sitting in his dimly lit office, on his chair, behind his desk. He had no idea exactly why he was sitting here, but Evander had told him.

"It's a lot easier to show you, than it is to tell you what's wrong with this year. So why don't you sit tight here for the next little while. If anything interesting happens, don't do anything, don't say anything and watch."

Evander had then tapped Severus' forehead with his wand, and the Potions Master felt the familiar sensation of disillusionment before walking off towards the laboratory with Felix in tow. He had been sitting here for what was half an hour, according to the clock in the room, reading a Potions journal that he himself had charmed invisible.

When it was almost one in the morning, Severus' sharp hearing detected the sound of footsteps coming towards his office from the sole tunnel that led to his Potions classroom. The footfalls of the individual were very unique, a dull clunk followed by a soft thunk. It sounded like...

_Mad-Eye._ _Why the bloody hell is he breaking and entering into my private areas? Has he reached a new level of paranoia?_ Severus then finished off his train of thought by imagining what Alastor's reaction would be if he ever showed the paranoid man his Dark Mark-less left arm. But then again, the old grizzled ex-Auror would merely say that there was some sort of concealing charm, because, you know, once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater. It was all very annoying, how people viewed the world in blacks and whites, but never in between.

He barely had time to put down his journal when he saw the faint shimmer of another figure walk into the office from the tunnels leading to his quarters. He could have sworn that he saw the stones that paved his office floor temporarily glow for a millisecond. When he shut his eyes, he could almost visualize a portion of the temporarily illuminated Runic circle that Evander had presumably drawn on the ground – because who else was capable of doing such a thing?

And, why was there a Runic circle on the floor of his office?

He made a mental note to ask Evander later.

He saw the faintly glowing person – judging by the figure's stature, Evander – whip out his wand and despite his initial inkling that it was Moody walking into his office, he was not prepared to see the sight of a suddenly uncloaked Mad-Eye walking right in front of him. The next steps happened quickly and without a sound – a jet of red light, followed by what looked like a binding curse and the perpetrator was an immobile lump on the ground before Mad-Eye had even realized that he wasn't alone in the office.

Severus found himself impressed by Evander's speed, ability to cast nonverbally and without the complex wand movements that were usually associated with such spells. In fact, he was so in awe that he completely forgot to ask himself, why Evander had Moody bound and stunned in the first place.

Evander then levitated the bound Moody to the far wall that Severus was currently facing, and another cloaked, shimmering figure – Felix, had entered the office, with a flask of some sort in his hand.

" _Enervate_ ," Evander hissed.

Before Alastor could even formulate a sentence, let alone a word, Felix had forced the contents of the flask down the man's throat. There was an unpleasant squelching sound as Mad Eye's prosthetic eye popped out of the man's socket, and the wooden leg detached as the man's real leg gradually grew out of the stump. It took Severus a few seconds to realize that Mad-Eye wasn't Mad-Eye, just as Evander wasn't Evander and Felix wasn't Felix. But in a different sense, considering that he now understood why the Boomslang in his cupboard didn't tally up during his quarter annual Potions ingredients inventory check a few days ago.

_Bloody hell, what is this world coming too?_

"Hello, Barty," Evander said conversationally, but coldly.

_Hang on a sec, wasn't Barty Jr. dead?_ Severus remembered reading about the man's death sometime back. But of course, as everything in the world was liable to be, it was a sham.

It was comical to see Barty squirm against his invisible bonds and look around the seemingly empty room in bewilderment, unable to discern the source of the speaker.

"Can't see me, eh?" Evander said lazily, "No worries, you aren't crazy. It's just that we used the same means that you were employing to sneak around. I knew you were coming tonight, considering you didn't trip any of my Alert wards on Severus' office entrance the past week, and today's the day you run out of Boomslang. Although, I really do suggest the usage of a Silencing charm on your feet, no point being invisible if they can hear you coming."

"Coward," The man barely managed to say.

"Coward?" Evander said with amusement, "Is that really what you've got to say? I know how you cheated death, I know of your mother's dead body buried under your name, I know of your father's _Imperius,_ and how you escaped..."

Barty Crouch Jr. paled. But Evander took no notice and kept going, "And you met with the remnants of Voldemort and hatched a mad plan." The captive flinched at the name of his Master, but Evander took no heed, "Voldemort was a bloody hypocrite, you know? His real name was Tom, and he was a half-blood. What a coward, indeed. Feared death of all things."

"You lie," Barty said expressionlessly, but Severus could smell fear.

"I lie?" Evander laughed loudly, "I've told nothing but truths." He then continued in a deceptively soothing and sympathetic voice, "It's alright, Barty, by the end of this, for you, this conversation would cease to exist in your mind. I only said what I said to confirm what I need, and of course, _Legilimency_ is always an asset. It's a pity you didn't pick up on Mad-Eye's _Occlumency_ abilities while you were busy faking everything else. You will have your autonomy back by the end of this weekend and reassurance that all is going to plan."

Before Barty could contemplate the significance of Evander's last statement, he had already pointed his wand at the Death Eater. " _Imperio._ "

Severus made a note to himself to avoid straying from Evander's good graces.

* * *

"Evander? Evander!"

Hermione and Evander were sitting in the library; the surface of the rosewood table they were working at was littered with various parchments inscribed with Runes and covered in varied geometrical shapes, from triangles to heptagrams. Honestly, Evander thought that using heptagrams for these basic problems was overkill, but if it floated Hermione's boat, and got the job done, what was he to say about it?

Plus, Evander knew that his friend had a stubborn, righteous streak within her, even when it came to homework, so he had no intent to square off with that particular force of nature. Not that he was criticizing her or anything, considering that he himself had a streak of obstinacy that would do Hermione proud.

Oh wait, scratch that, drive her absolutely insane. _Nope, that would be totally hypocritical._ The best time to help Hermione was when she asked for it – like now. He had finished his own problem set awhile ago, and was working out the final simplifications for a ward circle.

He looked up; his raven-feathered quill with a white streak, rather reminiscent of a lightning bolt, still in his hand.

"Yeah, Hermione?"

"Can you help me with number ten? I can't get it to –" Hermione asked, with a mild look of frustration on her face.

"Simplify?" Evander grinned. He rather enjoyed how the tables were turned in this dimension. Gone were the days where he had to ask Hermione to read over all his essays, and explain difficult concepts that he couldn't wrap his own brain around. He gently grabbed Hermione's work and turned the parchment towards himself. He studied her hexagram carefully, before summoning his own wand, and with care, he erased several Runes and a few of her vertices, before replacing them with his own series of lines. He then quickly sketched a triangle, wrote in less than ten Runes, and quickly rederived the same solution, as verification. Satisfied, he pushed the parchment back towards her.

Hermione sighed when she looked at Evander's work. She had realized what her mistake was when Evander had erased half of her work. She also looked at her friend's triangle, and she got the subtle hint that she was deliberately making life more difficult for herself.

_She had wanted to show off... prove herself..._

Evander winked at her.

"You're so brilliant." She said rather wistfully at the Ravenclaw in front of her, envying the boy's skills. "It's really nice of you to help me with Runes on your Saturdays for the past month."

"It's never a problem," Evander gave her a smile, "I really do enjoy your company."

_I owe you, for everything you've done for me, Hermione_.

"I do too," Hermione admitted with her own shy smile.

Evander mused that she looked extra pretty with her smile. But then again, Hermione had always been attractive, especially during their later years.

"You are so different then all the other boys in my House. All they do is talk Quidditch and fool around..." Hermione continued.

_Oh the irony_. Evander smirked. _If only you knew who I really am_.

"Well, I talk Quidditch too, and fool around like all the other guys." Evander said with a light air.

Hermione blushed furiously, "You know what I mean! And honestly, I think Ron is getting jealous that I spend my time doing homework with you. As if he wants to spend his time doing homework with me on a Saturday afternoon. I told him that I could spend my time with whomever I liked. Sometimes, I really don't understand guys. They are like an alien species."

Evander laughed at the end of Hermione's tirade. He knew that the best thing to deal with jealous Ron was to give him a wide berth and he would hopefully come to his senses, or get Ginny or his older brothers to knock some sense into their friend. "That makes me a Martian, doesn't it?"

Hermione giggled, "A nice Martian."

"That's very nice to know," Evander said dryly with a straight face.

His comment only made Hermione laugh harder.

The two eventually returned back to their respective tasks, working in companionable silence. Evander found himself thinking about tonight, the night when all the wannabe-glory-seeking-Champions were going were going to put in their names, little knowing the sinister plot surrounding the entire tournament. The world was so naive... He felt sorry his younger self – but really, in order to lull Voldemort into a false sense of security, there were very limited options available at the moment.

He had even considered entering the bloody tournament himself or even using Polyjuice so that he could at least take Harry's place, but he knew that the alterations in magic signature from the time-travel made such a thing impossible. He and Harry were no longer the same magical being – as confirmed by _Gringotts_ – and; therefore, could not thwart the contract the Goblet imposed on its victims. The former would draw too much attention to him and for their plans to succeed, they had to remain inconspicuous.

The neat thing about long-distance _Imperio_ or at least, for him, was that Evander could see in his mind's eye what Not-Moody was doing, although, Evander had a feeling that the powerful Tracking spell that he had cast on the fraud also had something to do with the mental images. Back in the future, there was privacy laws regarding the use of such potent Tracking Spells, but Evander knew that there were no such laws in 1994, considering that your basic Tracking Spell could only give you the Apparition coordinates. He had ordered Barty to act normally until further notice, and had seen mentally the man eating lunch, marking DADA essays, and brewing his next set of Polyjuice Potions.

Of course, they had allowed Barty to leave with the ingredients he came for.

But at least, they could change one thing, tonight. And he could definitely prepare his younger self to better deal with the challenges ahead than he had done the first time around. He smiled to himself with glee.

_Oh yeah, he definitely will..._

Musing along those lines, he continued to work on his ward. He also did notice that the frequency of giggling girls was gradually rising as the minutes ticked by. It was slightly annoying.

It wasn't until several minutes later when Evander finally figured out the reason behind the nuisance.

"Hi, um... I vos vondering if you two can help me find this book on Potions. I am very sorry for disturbing you two."

Both Evander and Hermione turned around to see Viktor Krum dressed rather casually in a long sleeved charcoal shirt and dark trousers standing beside their table. His tall, lithe figure rather overshadowed the table he was hovering over. He looked rather apologetic.

_Explains the fan girls..._ Evander sighed.

"Which one?" Evander threw down his raven-feathered quill.

"One on transfigurative Potions. Karkaroff doesn't vont us to fall behind on our studies vhile ve are here." Viktor explained.

"I think I know a good one." Evander said thoughtfully. "I will be back, Hermione."

Evander caught Viktor giving Hermione a long look, before the Quidditch star turned around to follow him. He smirked, remembering vaguely that Hermione had used to complain loads in fourth year about Krum and his fan club always being in the library. He now knew a reason for why Viktor was always in the library.

It was because Hermione was always in there.

He didn't blame Viktor at all. _Nope, not one bit._

"So vot's your name?" Viktor asked as the two passed several shelves.

"Evander," Evander offered, "I know you are Viktor."

"Everyone knows I'm Viktor," The Seeker said rather forlornly, "It vould be nice to introduce myself for vonce."

Evander laughed. He was very familiar with Viktor's feelings about being famous; it was something he had struggled with in his previous life, until he learned to accept it, to tame the fame for his own advantage. "Let's try that again, then. My name's Evander."

"And mine's Viktor. It's nice to meet you." Viktor cracked a small smile to Evander.

"Likewise," Evander stopped by a shelf, and examined the contents, before bending down and fetching a dusty old tome entitled: _A Transfigurative Approach to Potions_. "This was a very in-depth and fascinating book, from what I recall."

"You've read it all?" Viktor looked surprised, "It's a very complicated topic."

"Very useful," Evander mused, "It's the temporary Human-to-Animal Potions that are of particular interest, especially if you aren't an _Animagus_."

"Pity ve can't brew things on the ship." Viktor sighed, "I vould like to try my hand at it, even though practical brewing of such Potions is beyond school-level Potions. It's only theory that they vant us to know."

The two had returned to the table to find Evander's chair being occupied by Felix. Viktor examined the newcomer and glanced at Hermione, before looking down at his newly acquired book. Evander noticed that Viktor looked slightly abashed, not wanting to look like he was staring at her. It totally reminded him of the days when he was crap around girls.

"That's my chair," Evander remarked simply to Felix.

"I tried telling him that," Hermione shot Evander a rather sorry look, "But he became even more obstinate after that."

"You are Viktor?" Felix held out his hand, which Viktor politely shook.

"And you?"

"Felix; Evander's best friend," Felix said.

"I think I need a new best friend. Like I mean, what are we, second-class citizens?" Evander stage whispered to Hermione, as he dragged another chair from another table, causing her to laugh again. He sat down beside her and reached for his parchments from the other side. Viktor pulled a chair from behind him, and sat down beside Felix.

"I heard that!" Felix pointed accusingly at Evander, who played just as dumb as Felix had done earlier. His theatrics caused Viktor to smile at the rather immature-ish behaviour. He then asked. "So did you lot finish Runes yet?"

"Long time ago," Evander nodded, while Hermione answered, "I just finished."

"Damn." Felix shook his head in disappointment, "I just did the first two problems."

"And Viktor, this is Hermione," Evander made a point of enunciating each syllable of Hermione's name clearly.

Viktor looked gratefully at Evander before redirecting his attention to the girl who had caught his eye. "Herm-own-ninny, it is a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

Evander had conjured a comfortable piece of dark green carpet on the cold stone floor of Severus' laboratory and was sitting on it in the cross legged fashion that he was used to meditating in, facing the lit stone fireplace that sat on the far side wall from the laboratory benches.

Behind him, he could hear the familiar noises of Felix and Severus working away on Potions, and the scratches of quill on parchment. He could even hear the sounds of Felix erasing dry-erase marker off a whiteboard that the two had conjured several weeks ago. Ever since they had revealed their identities to Severus, the professor-student relationship had dissolved, when it became evident that Felix knew things about Potions that Severus didn't know.

Evander knew that Felix had decided to restart the derivations that he had done as a Mastery student, in an attempt to develop a nerve-regeneration Potion that would work just as well as Skele-gro worked for bones. Evander was still turning in the weekly essays to Severus and the pair was still doing the readings, considering that they did want to sit their OWLs for the subject before the end of term.

They had also decided that they would sit their DADA OWLs and NEWTs as well, considering that the pair had dealt with Dark Wizards for a living. The pair was especially keen on that idea, just in case a certain hem-hem somehow ended up teaching at Hogwarts next year, even if things came out alright at the end. Evander knew that Murphy's Law sometimes applied to Fate, and he was not interested in going down the Umbitch path again.

He then laughed, when he realized the connection between Murphy's Law and his own new last name.

_Fate was ridiculous._

_Hysterical, really. Haha._ Evander mused sarcastically.

He closed his eyes, and concentrated on Not-Moody. With a gentle nudge of his mind, he got the Death Eater to walk out of his quarters, and towards Entrance Hall, following the very game plan that Barty had intended for tonight, anyways. It was almost midnight, which was past curfew, so there were no students wandering about, and Barty, being a professor, would draw no attention.

When the man finally approached the Goblet of Fire, he pulled out his wand, and cast the _Confundus Charm_ on the Goblet. With that spell, he could see the internal workings of the Goblet. Just as Evander had feared, the Goblet had been configured for four schools, before Not-Moody had even begun to manipulate the magic within.

It was as if someone else had been planning alongside Voldemort.

Evander frowned.

Finally, he had Barty drop in the scrap of parchment that had his former identity and Hogwarts scrawled on it into the fourth, empty compartment. Another complex swish of Barty's wand later, and the real Hogwarts compartment was completely removed from the Goblet, with all the parchments within, incinerated. Just in case, Evander created an extra powerful illusion on the Goblet, so if anyone did look, the fourth section of the Goblet would still appear to be functional and full of parchment scraps until the actual drawing of the names.

_There, now we will actually have a Triwizard Tournament_.

He finally directed Barty back to his office.

Evander then got up himself, observing that Felix and Severus were having an avid discussion on how neurons worked, while drawing diagrams of the cells themselves and jotting down notes on the whiteboard with different coloured markers.

_At least some people were enjoying themselves, while he did the grunt work._

He walked out of the laboratory, cast his series of disillusionment and silencing charms, and ran for Mad-Eye's office. The former Death Eater was waiting for Evander there, as he had been commanded.

" _Obliviate."_

Evander then proceeded to furnish a very logical set of memories that accounted for yesterday, up till now, including the memory of tampering with the Goblet. It was easy, since he had caught glimpses of what Not-Moody did on his spare time, and knew what Barty's plan had been all along. He also added the appropriate feel of accomplishment and a few thoughts along the lines of how pleased Voldemort was going to be, knowing that the first phase of their plan had gone without a hitch.


	9. Patronus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile... hasn't it?

The wind blew through Evander's hair and whipped through his Quidditch robes of forest green trimmed with smooth cream fabric as he navigated the pitch on his _Firebolt_ with the lightest pressure from his legs. The stands were beginning to fill with students from all the Houses. He could see the blue of _Beauxbatons_ as well as the red of _Durmstrang_ amongst the bleachers. He leaned forward, accelerating many metres towards the grey clouds that occluded the sun from view.

_Today's All Hallows' Eve_. Evander thought. _Today's the day that little-me will embark on a road not wanted; a journey predetermined – a tug-of-war between two forces._ This wasn't a game of dark or light... muggleborn versus pureblood – it was a question of power. It had always been a question of power under the guises of different excuses when examined through the lens of history. He suddenly applied the brakes, hovering far above. Everything looked so tiny, so toy-like from above. _Was this what it was like to be Dumbledore or even Voldemort?_ _Where everyone was a means to their own ends? Where everyone was a pawn, to be used and sacrificed at leisure?_ With all of Dumbledore's knowledge and skill – and the Elder Wand – that old coot could have ended this, years ago!How could anyone be so blind? _How could he have been so blind?_

A drop of rain fell on his nose. It was an excellent thing that he didn't wear glasses anymore. They had been such a hassle, despite the water-proofing charms that were available. He felt a sense of déjà vu as he watched Cedric Diggory beneath him, doing his pregame flight around the pitch.

He hoped that he could save Cedric's life today. But first, he would have to kick Cedric's team's ass in a little game of friendly Quidditch. He then dove down, neatly completing the circle that his teammates had formed in his absence.

He said, all business-like. "Alright guys. Let's make this very short and very sweet."

Fred grinned mischievously, "Let us have it!"

"Three words..." Evander held out three fingers.

"Oh, stop stalling," Felix complained as he mounted his own broom.

"Let's win this!" Evander exclaimed.

"Hear hear!" Fred chimed in, as did everyone else. "Isn't funny that we are dressed in green? I never thought I'd be playing in green robes."

"Oh shut it," Felix groaned. He still thought of himself as a Slytherin despite all this time-travelling shit. _Green was his colour to defend!_

Jason added, "You look splendid in green, Fred." He smirked and winked suggestively, causing Fred to give him the elbow.

"The robes are simply marvelous," Daphne chimed in. "I am glad Hannah decided to choose our House colour for the robes. I love green!"

"And, Fred – please remember you are passing the Bludger to me and not George!" Jason reminded, "I mean, it could turn out messy if you –"

"Okay, let's go already!" Daphne exclaimed, "I am so excited – this is my first legitimate Hogwarts Quidditch game, ever!"

Lee Jordan's voice was soon heard all over the stadium. "Good afternoon, ladies and gents and our lovely visitors from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons! Today we will be having the second game of our Inter-House tournament. So without further ado – I would first like to introduce Cedric's Celtics!"

Seven golden blurs shot into the centre of the stadium as Lee announced their names. Evander could see George and Angelina flying for the other team. It was kind of strange that they were all playing against old teammates, but it did certainly make things interesting. And, anyways, he definitely needed a distraction from tonight.

"And now for Evander's Avengers! Here comes Fred Weasley, Hannah Abbott, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, Jason Samuels, Felix Wedgewood, and Evander Murphy - Captain! Give them all a warm welcome!"

The applause was thunderous as Evander flew into the stadium, the last of his team to do so. He could even see banners magically spelling out _'Go Avengers!'_ , _'Cedric Diggory for the WIN!'_ , and _'Evander rules!'_. The latter enormously expanded sign was held up by several of his Ravenclaw mates – Terry, Anthony amongst others. There was a crudely sketched picture of Evander on a broomstick on the banner.

He smiled at the tribute.

The game was soon in full-swing with one reluctant Severus Snape as referee. Evander and Felix had spent the past weeks badgering the Potions' Master to take up the job for at least two of the Inter-House games. Severus had eventually given in, after Felix had said, _'You should honestly get some fresh air and sunlight for once – it's no wonder people get the misconception that you are a bat.'_

"Angelina in possession of the Quaffle now – look at that form – making way towards the _Avengers'_ – oh look here comes Hannah Abbot and Felix Wedgewood of the Avengers. Damn! Look at that girl go –"

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall's stern voice echoed around the entire stadium, causing Evander to wince as he leisurely cruised the skies above.

"Sorry Professor! Anyways – Angelina's going to make a throw for it – here comes a Bludger from Fred – it's nice that we can actually tell them apart for once – OH MY! Nice catch by Hannah Abbott of the Avengers – and she speeds across the pitch – George Weasley of the Celtics smacks a Bludger, nice dodging maneuver by Hannah! Quaffle intercepted by Henry Myers – and no wait – Hannah's in possession again – tosses it off to Daphne, off to Felix, and oh that Bludger! Narrow miss there, Michael of the Celtics! And Hannah scores! FOURTY to THIRTY – in the Avengers' favour!"

Evander noticed a lot of whole-hearted cheering from the Hufflepuff factions as Hannah had scored. He definitely knew who was probably going to be on the Hufflepuff team next year. And she was definitely going to make an enormous difference. He flew into the fray once more, a tangle of Chasers jostling over the red Quaffle and barely dodging a Bludger no doubt lovingly shot by George. Cedric was sticking around the outskirts, his eyes fixated on the ground – searching about for the elusive Snitch near the stands.

There was an eardrum shattering thunderclap that momentarily caused a lull in both the activity and Jordan's commentary. A second later, Evander found himself completely drenched as the rain drops pelted down mercilessly. Visibility had also plummeted as well, as he slowly made his way around the pitch. The fight for the Quaffle was on again and he listened as Severus called a foul after Montague had pulled forcefully at Daphne's robe in a futile attempt to repossess the Quaffle.

The abysmal conditions were reminding him again of that time in third year although he knew that if any Dementors did show up, he and Felix could definitely chase them away with their _Patronuses_ – _but that'd give them away – wouldn't it?_ _And was his patronus still a stag?_ Would Dumbledore pull a Dementor stunt to confirm the true nature of his new transfer students on a hypothesis? Or was he fucking paranoid? And was Dumbledore even at this game?

He hadn't seen the old man anywhere this afternoon.

They were interesting questions. And he had never seen Felix's patronus.

_Focus on the game – Har-Evander._ He reminded himself. _The sooner you catch the damned Snitch; the sooner this game would be over!_

The game dragged on. One of the Celtics' Chasers, Montague, had dropped the Quaffle and there had been a mud-brawl of sorts down below with intermittent whistle-blowing from Severus as he called foul after foul. People in the crowd had conjured things like tarps, umbrellas and rain-robes to keep out the rain. Jason had even screwed up and passed the Bludger to George due to the mistiness. Evander had even followed Cedric for a bit, but the brown-haired boy hadn't seen anything tiny, gold or fluttering.

And then he saw it. The Snitch. It was several metres underneath him, its wings were slightly water-logged, and the gusts of wind were hampering its path. He made a grab for it, battling against the wind. He felt the cold metal in his hands and he flew towards Lee, waving frantically.

"And Murphy catches the Snitch! The game is over – THREE HUNDRED AND TEN TO ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FOR THE AVENGERS! THE AVENGERS WIN!"

There was massive cheering from the stands as the rest of Evander's team flew over to give him wet and from the Chasers, muddy hugs.

"Gerroff me!" Evander groaned as Daphne and Felix's muddy forms embraced him.

Fred exclaimed, "Good job, Evander! It was getting awfully dreary and miserable. And Jason – you messed up today! That was Gred! Not Forge!"

"Damn it!" Jason swore, "I was hoping that you didn't see that!"

"And good job to our Chasers and Keeper too!" Fred continued, "That was like what – your first official Hogwarts game? And we still kicked their asses – I mean they had Angelina, Grant and Montague! They were all on House Quidditch teams last year!"

"Yay, us!" Felix initiated a group hug with Daphne and Hannah. Evander grinned albeit sadly as he watched Felix trying to distribute his hug equally between the two girls.

"Come in here, Blaise!" Daphne flew away from the rest of the group and started to chase the other Slytherin around, also causing Hannah and Felix to break away as well. "You need a hug too!"

"Was Daphne always like this?" Evander asked Felix.

"Uh huh." Felix mumbled quietly to Evander, "Always. She never shows this crazier side of her when other Houses are around. I guess she feels comfortable with our team, though."

"It's almost time for dinner too!" Jason exclaimed, "I can't wait to see who our Hogwarts champion is going to be!"

"Yeah!" Fred added his enthusiasm, "Shame the Age-Potion didn't work..."

"I was there!" Felix exclaimed, "You old men were a riot!"

"Ha, ha – very funny." Fred grinned despite the tease.

* * *

After a quick shower, Evander changed into a crisp maroon shirt and the oldest worn jeans that he possessed. He threw his Ravenclaw robes over his simple arrangement and headed out the Ravenclaw Tower, leaving Felix to take his Merlin-knows-how-long-shower. That man really liked his showers. He let his feet take him towards the library.

"Weren't you at the game today?" He asked as he sat down across from Hermione.

She nodded, "I was. I saw you catch the Snitch and then I went straight here. That game lasted very long."

"Yeah." Evander agreed, "Something like five hours? The Chasers were really splattered with mud afterwards. And Severus looked like he wanted to murder us."

Hermione was curious when she looked up from her _Transfiguration_ notes, "Why does Professor Snape want to murder you? And, you get to call him by his first name? He lets you do that?"

"Felix told him that he needed more sunlight to cure him of his rumored vampirism." Evander said with a straight face.

Hermione laughed, "Did he really?"

"Yes! You should have seen the look on his face!" Evander started to chuckle. Laughter was bloody contagious. "And then it rained really badly, today. Felix is probably never going to hear the end of it!"

"Hello, Evander, Herm-own-ninny!" Viktor's gruff voice greeted the pair.

"Hi Viktor!" Both Hermione and Evander said their respective greetings.

"I saw you fly today." Viktor said, "You are a good Seeker."

"Thanks, Viktor. Today was one of the slower matches." Evander said modestly, "I think you are one of the best!"

"Could go professional if you vonted to. It's not all just fancy moves – it's the vay you look for the Snitch." Viktor mused. "And what are you looking at today, Herm-own-ninny?"

Hermione faintly blushed, "A little bit of Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall's got a quiz for us next week."

"Transfiguration is my favourite subject." Viktor beamed, "I find it fascinating how a little svish can make such a big difference."

"Spellwork and Runes are my decent points." Evander contributed.

"Don't even – Evander!" Hermione exclaimed, "Decent points! Sometimes I think you even deliberately hold back in Ancient Runes on what you really know! And Professor Snape picked you as an apprentice of sorts – you've got to be good!"

"Interesting theory, Hermione..." Evander mused playfully and stroked his chin like one of those philosophical wise men. "But I am learning all this for the first time. I am just good at it." He grinned inanely. _Well, it was true. He had never had formal training in Runes._ "And Potions? I was just fortunate to learn ahead in my old life pre-Hogwarts. Now, Felix is someone who really knows about his Potions."

"Modesty does not suit thee," Hermione shook her head.

Their conversation was interrupted by Felix saying pseudo-sarcastically. "Thou badassery leakest from every pore in thy body."

Evander really couldn't tell which side of the fence of sarcasm Felix was standing on.

"That was horrible." Hermione chuckled. Felix merely winked before pulling the out the fourth chair to sit down. Felix also pulled out the week's Runes set and got right to it with his old quill and old-fashioned blue ink.

"Are you excited about the Trivizard Tournament?" Viktor changed the topic, "Karkaroff is hoping that I get picked... but I beg to differ! I don't need any more fame!"

"Well, you see – I am not old enough." Evander said carefully. It was awkward knowing what the future held. He then said as optimistically as he could. "Hopefully you won't get picked."

_Like that's going to happen._

Viktor said very seriously. "You are not a boy to cross, Evander. It's in your eyes. Somehow, I am very glad that you von't be competing despite your youth."

Evander suddenly felt very cold, despite the two warm layers that he was wearing. It was strange, how his new fourteen year old self was intimidating to people who were physically older to him. Younger-him hadn't been able to scare anyone. He had tried to be as nice and as helpful as possible to everyone he had met at Hogwarts, but he knew that despite the de-Aging, there was something about the life that he had lived that would always be with him.

_It had always been about the eyes._ Severus had looked at him in the eyes before he had taken the _Essence of Regret_ – almost the same way he had done down at the Shrieking Shack in the alternate universe. He had always found that where the mind and tongue lied – the eyes usually didn't.

"Definitely not someone I'd want to get into a duel with." Felix agreed. "Sodding bastard would disarm you before you even pull your wand out!"

"But, Evander is the nicest!" Hermione defended. "No one else is willing to tutor me Runes every Saturday! He listens to all my problems with my other friends. He would probably let his dueller make the first move!"

"I think he's the only guy capable of tutoring you Runes –" Felix pointed out.

Viktor shook his head. "I didn't say he vosn't nice. I just said he's not someone you vont to be on the other side. He's the type of person you vont vith you vhen things go vrong."

_Nice that you think so much of me, Hermione, in the short while that you know me._ Evander knew that in a duel to the death, he would definitely make the first move. Heck, he probably would have even prepared surprises. His inner Slytherin had fully developed itself in his _Auror_ days. _I know that if you truly knew the man I'd become, it won't hold up to the righteous moral ideals you held in your youth – i.e. now._ He touched his wand hidden in his sleeve.

"What could go wrong?" Hermione asked. "Things seem very quiet this year – unlike the prior years."

Viktor sighed, looking rather melancholic. "Karkaroff is very edgy these days. And it's throwing me off as vell."

Evander knew perfectly well what was making Karkaroff tick. "Well, the Triwizard Tournament is a major deal. Maybe that's why."

"I hope you are right, Evander." Viktor said worriedly. "But something tells me that there's a deeper problem."

"Maybe something's too quiet." Hermione suddenly said, shedding the cocoon of her naiveté.

Evander nodded solemnly while watching Hermione refocus on the neat writing of her notes, "Maybe you've got something there."

Inwardly he mused _, "This is fucking dramatic irony at its finest..."_

* * *

The Goblet of Fire burned a brilliant shade of blue and the third and last parchment shot out of the goblet. Albus Dumbledore snatched it out of the flames and turned the scrap over to read it.

The silence in the Great Hall was so complete that Evander could hear the sounds of his bodily functions.

"Harry Potter." Evander watched Dumbledore feign a look of shock at the paper that had been chosen. It was amazing how well that man could fake the surprise. Evander had seen too much; he had known too much that such events of this magnitude do not go unnoticed in the ever-going match between Tom and Albus. However, everyone around him was astonished and gossip abounded the halls as little-him made his way out through the doors that the two prior champions had gone out earlier. He looked suspiciously at the Goblet, just in case another name was spat out.

"How in Merlin did Harry bloody Potter get his name into that Goblet?" One of the Ravenclaw seventh years asked loudly a few chairs away. All around Evander, people were asking the same question.

Another seventh year chimed, "It's not fair. It's only meant to be for seventh years!"

"Well, in my book," Roger Davies was saying, "If you are clever enough to get your name into the Goblet, then you damn well better have the right to be chosen. The goblet doesn't discriminate – the people who organize this kind of thing do."

"So our Champion is a fourth year!" Another groaned, "This is going to go down, very well..." Sarcasm oozed.

Evander was feeling the emphatic pangs of sympathy for Harry. He still remembered, despite it being twenty years ago. Harry had no desire to enter the Tournament, _au contraire_ to the belief of the entire Hogwarts population. Little-Harry was not a glory-seeker, merely a boy who wanted to live a normal life. Even Ron hadn't believed Harry, as hard as that was to believe.

It sucked, but he couldn't see a plausible alternative for the plans to work. In that sense, he knew he was kind of behaving like Dumbledore and Voldemort – manipulating people, events and places. He was appealing to the double effect; there were some sacrifices that needed to be made to win the peace as efficiently as possible.

And he just wanted to end this all, and then if the world needed saving again – well tough luck to her!

Some other unlucky sod can have that task.

_He was so done! So Merlin-fucking done!_

"You looked like you just made a very big decision in your life." Felix mused.

"I just did." Evander nodded. "So can we leave yet? This is a little dull." He whispered the last part.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Felix said knowingly, "But then again, people always go with Occam's razor – the simplest explanation possible."

"That's debatable." Evander got up from his chair when he saw others leaving. "I will talk to you later about it."

"Where to?" Felix asked.

"The usual – Severus?"

"Righty-o!" Felix pushed his chair in and the two headed down to the dungeons away from all the hubbub, while Felix whistled some jaunty tune that Evander was not familiar with.

When they entered the dungeons, they were surprised to see Severus already waiting for them in his office. The man had his usual cup of tea – some exotic Japanese blend – and a Potions journal tucked neatly under one arm. He was still clad in his usual black robes. Evander snapped his fingers because one can never be sure of what kinds of bugs were eavesdropping on one's conversation.

"I had a peculiar feeling that you two were going to show up." Severus said dryly.

"We aren't bothering you, are you?" Felix asked politely.

"No," Severus quirked the most miniscule of smiles, "But my curiosity is dying to know if there's an explanation behind today's twist of events. Something was changed tonight, wasn't it?"

"You know what they say about curiosity," Evander warned teasingly.

Severus bantered back smoothly, "It hasn't killed Minerva yet."

"Fair enough... I am going to add one more ward to your office," Evander changed the topic and pulled out a piece of red chalk from the pockets of his robes. "Call me paranoid, but I –"

"Go on, go on!" Severus said amusedly while grandly gesturing to the stone floor, "I bet if you quirk your little finger a tad in any direction, we would see that there'd be very little surface left on my floor that isn't covered in chalk."

"Very funny," Evander knelt down and started inscribing a few runes at the entry way from the Potions' classroom. He was still having troubles reconciling that Severus Snape produced witticisms of the cynically dark variant – his favourite flavour really. But it was nice that their duo had become a trio. "But I am going to put up a Dumbledore Alert ward."

Severus quipped in an ' _I knew it'_ voice, "I knew that the old coot wasn't all that benign!"

"But weren't you Dumbledore's man?" Felix asked suspiciously.

"I swore my promise to _his_ mother." Severus said gravely, looking steadily towards Evander, "I don't owe Albus anything. In fact, I would happily quit teaching next year if we can somehow get rid of all our problems and leave Hogwarts. Albus was just the convenient vehicle to atone for my sins. I am definitely intrigued by the opportunity to move on to greener pastures..."

"So, technically, you are Harry's man." Felix evaluated.

Severus snorted and almost spat out his gulp of tea, "As if!"

There was a companionable silence marred only by the scratching of chalk on stone and the ticking of Severus' clock.

"But it does make a man feel good to see the great Evander Murphy down on his hands and knees," Felix said with great satisfaction as he stood leisurely against Severus' desk and idly watched Evander hard at work.

Severus chuckled.

"I can still hear from below!" Evander called out. "And you shouldn't be annoying the man with the chalk! I can do more damage with this little piece of chalk than your wand!"

"Not if I tie you up and never remove the bonds!" Felix mused.

"That sounds, rather disturbing... actually." Evander said teasingly. He then stood up, flicked a pinky and watched as the red angry-ish looking runes glowed and faded away from view.

Felix responded by sticking out his tongue childishly. Evander laughed.

"So, what exactly are the Runes inscribed in my office?" Severus asked when the three headed off to the inner reaches of Severus' sanctum.

Evander and Felix were surprised when Severus turned towards his own chambers and beckoned the pair over. They were soon sitting in the nice leather chairs that the man had in his chambers. Severus poured them each a cup of tea and even had some soothing Vivaldi playing form the gramophone.

When Severus sat down, Evander answered, "Well, there's a Dark-Mark barrier that I've erected. I don't exactly have a positive control for it... I stopped Barty before he could try to test the boundaries of the ward. It's currently inactivated. And there are several generalized Alert wards."

"Then why a specific one for Dumbledore?" Felix asked.

"His is special." Evander explained. "I figured if he really wanted to come here, he'd be smart enough to check for generalized wards and try to remove them. So I set something a little extra special for him."

"So, why all this sudden paranoia against Dumbledore...?" Felix mused.

"You can't trust anyone." Evander sighed, "I just had this very disturbing thought during our Quidditch Match today... it was so eerily like the game I lost against Cedric back in Third Year that I was actually expecting Dementors to emerge out of that fog. I feel that it was one way for Dumbledore to check our identities through –"

"The use of Patronuses." Severus finished. "Not many wizards or witches know how to do one. And no two Patronuses are the same."

Evander whipped out his wand and incanted. He thought about the months that he had spent in his new life. He had been happier in the past two months than he had been in years. " _Expecto Patronum_!"

Something massive, something silvery emerged from Evander's wand. It didn't look remotely stag-like. Instead, it had an enormous wingspan, large ears and a furry body. It flapped around and roosted on Evander's shoulder before vanishing into thin air.

"A bat..." Severus observed. "Very fascinating – in some cultures it represents rebirth... or even reincarnation. Curiously apt."

Felix stood up as well with his wand in hand. " _Expecto Patronum_."

The silver flew out of Felix's wand. It was a massive fierce bird of prey and made a lap around Severus' living room.

"The falcon." Severus said almost immediately.

"It's the same as always..." Felix mused nostalgically. "Hannah's patronus was a falcon too."

"Hannah?" Severus wondered.

"My past wife..." Felix suddenly looked as if Severus' living room was filled with Dementors. He said no more after that.

Severus tactfully left the subject alone.

Evander knew that Severus' patronus was a doe. _A doe for his mother, for her Patronus was a doe_. His father's patronus had been the stag. He had also remembered Tonks – and how her Patronus had morphed into something wolflike after she had fallen in love with Remus. He bowed his head respectfully at the memory. _Love was truly a powerful emotion with scary properties_. "I wonder if it's the thoughts we utilize that determine our Patronuses..."

Severus lapsed into silence for a minute or two before he said. "Maybe that's why Albus thought he could count on me to help his cause. My patronus..."

"It's a shot in the dark, but it might be true." Evander said brightly. "Hmm... Ginny's patronus was never a doe though... It was always a horse even during the serious part of our relationship. I know that the nature of patronuses isn't a science, but that does give some food for thought."

"You didn't marry Ginervra Weasley, did you?" Severus sounded slightly horrified. "She's going to grow up to be the next Molly Weasley..."

"Nope." Evander mused, "She was never _that_ bad. We broke up a few years after Ron and Hermione got married... I had a little problem with alcohol, _Dreamless Sleep_ and post-traumatic stress disorder that was steadily getting worse. She tried to deal, but couldn't. But even before then, things were going downhill."

"Ah, that's why..." Severus said thoughtfully, "That day in the lab..."

Evander laughed darkly. He knew exactly what Severus was referring to, "Yeah, I know _those_ Potions very well. Too well..."

* * *

"What on bloody hell are these?" Evander asked as he pointed to a box filled with badges at the head of the Ravenclaw Table one morning. He picked one of the badges up and it flashed the words, _'POTTER SUCKS!'_. The words immediately vanished and were replaced by, _'Support VIKTOR KRUM – A REAL CHAMPION!'._ He held the green badge wearily up to eye level. "Okay, let me rephrase my question... Who the bloody fuck made these?"

"It vosn't me!" Viktor, who had spent the past week eating with Evander and Felix, immediately defended himself. "I just sat down a few seconds ago! It's ridiculous that Hogwarts is so divided that the students don't even vont to support their own Champion."

"The same little twit who's getting people to sign this petition..." Terry added helpfully. "Draco Malfoy demands a redraw for the Hogwarts Champion."

_How predictable some people are..._ Evander drummed the surface of the table.

"I hope you lot all refused." Felix said sternly while slamming the table with an open palm, looking more like the intimidating Auror in his past life than his fourteen year old self. "Sure, the Triwizard is glorious, but people have gotten bloody killed in the past! And, let me ask..." He stopped to look at every Ravenclaw student nearby with his dark eyes, "How many of you people under the age of seventeen tried to cross the _Age Line_?"

There were a few guilty looking faces at the table in the resultant uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah, are we Ravenclaws such sore losers that we can't handle the fact that someone else from a House other than Ravenclaw managed to cross that sodding line while underage?" Anthony said very loudly. He then turned to one of the badge-wearers. "Oh, come on Stephen – I know you tried – I saw you, mate!"

There were the clangs of people pulling off their badges of their robes and tossing them onto the table to relieve themselves of their cognitive dissonance. Felix gave his wand an idle flick and vanished the offending objects.

"It's amazing how hypocritical people can be..." Terry shook his head.

Anthony added, "I'd bet every galleon I have back in my dormitory that every one of those suckers wish they were in Potter's place."

"I know a losing bet when I see one, Anthony." Terry turned his attention back to food.

"Sometimes," Felix mused to Evander, "I wonder if having Houses is a good idea or not..."

"Durmstrang doesn't haff Houses..." Viktor said as he helped himself to some bacon, "Ve stick together, although I do haff to say that our population is much smaller than yours."

After morning classes and lunch, Evander found himself wandering the halls, this time with Daphne, Tracey and Blaise tagging behind. He had nothing to teach them today, but his Slytherins had taken to following him around during their free time. Felix had wittily called them Evander's ducklings, insinuating that Evander was the mama-duck.

Evander's comeback had been, _"You are just jealous, Felix!"_

Daphne and Tracey were extremely chatty, while Blaise, all brooding and silent, took up the rear. _Well, Felix hasn't changed that much either –_ Evander reflected – _even before this dimension switch, he kept his problems to himself... A volcano of angst – really._

_But then again, he couldn't really judge. He had been what? An alcoholic who drank to forget about his shit._

At least this foray into the past had proven to be therapeutic for the pair of them.

"It's like having my own set of bodyguards!" Evander mused more to himself than his ducklings.

"Sorry that Auror Theo isn't here for duty." Daphne quipped, "He's busy finishing up today's Potions' essay."

"Plus, interesting things tend to happen when you are around." Tracey grinned. "And we want to see!"

"I am just an ordinary guy, who wants to live an ordinary life!" Evander sighed. "It's very difficult to do so when –"

"Plus, that modesty is _so_ attractive!" Daphne interjected, "Don't you agree, Tracey?"

"I know! It's so much better than all that _'Hey my parents are so and so'_ and _'Oh look, we are the Malfoys – so rich and sophisticated'_ and all that other blah blah blah from the blokes in the common room..." Tracey agreed enthusiastically, "And if you piss Evander off –"

"He won't be all like – ' _My Father will hear about this!'_ " Both Daphne and Tracey fell into hysterics.

"What happened to the Slytherin code of not making fun of people –" Evander began to ask.

Daphne said, "You are more Slytherin than half the people in our House."

"Oh, I know!" Tracey nodded, "You are an honorary Slytherin in my book! Plus, I bet if one did piss the great Evander off – oh he'd pull out his wand and -" She dissolved into giggles.

Evander walked on, not paying too much attention to Daphne and Tracey's conversation, although the attention was really a double-edged sword. It was parts flattering, yet parts irritating.

He was heading off for the dungeons, considering that he had a free period. A loud chorus of jeering laughter caught his attention as he walked through the corridor towards Severus' classroom.

He picked up his pace, ignoring the complaints of the Slytherin girls.

"Go on then, Potter..." The drawl of Draco Malfoy assailed Evander's ears, "Moody's not here to look after you now – do it if you've got the guts –"

The tension hanging could've been cut with a knife.

" _Furnunculus!_ "

" _Densaugeo!_ "

Evander flicked his wrist to summon his wand before either of the boys had finished saying their incantations. In a few seconds, he had both Draco and Harry disarmed and his own wand was safely tucked back in its holster. He held both wands in his right hand. Both Draco and Harry were looking rather dumbfounded and everyone else was completely bemused.

"What's a sodding Ravenclaw doing here?" One of the Slytherins asked.

"Yeah!" Draco jumped into action, "This is between me and Potter –"

"And what's all this noise about?" The silky tones of Severus' voice caused many in the crowd to flinch, while Evander maintained his calm.

"Potter attacked me, sir!" Draco immediately whined.

Ron chimed in, "Malfoy started it all!"

Severus looked from Draco, to Harry, to Ron and finally to Evander who was still twirling both wands idly in his fingers.

Severus said sardonically, "I fail to put two and two together... considering that both your wands are currently in the grasp of Murphy here..."

There were titters amongst the assembled Gryffindors and Slytherins.

"He disarmed us!" Draco added while Evander tapped his foot impatiently. _No shit, Sherlock!_

"And, what do you have to say for yourself, Murphy?" Severus turned his stony gaze over to Evander.

"Considering that Potions is Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter's last class of the day... they can come and get their wands from me at your office before curfew." Evander said. "We both know about how you don't approve of foolish wand-waving in Potions –"

The corners of Severus' mouth actually twitched. "Very well, Murphy."

Harry merely nodded, as Draco was completely flabbergasted. The blond boy wanted to say something about the _unusual_ punishment, but ended up opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"What is everyone waiting for?" Severus suddenly sniped at the rest of the crowd, "In, in – class started a minute ago!"

Both Houses scrambled for the classroom hastily, not wanting to be the targets of Severus' ire. Daphne playfully flicked at her blonde hair and gave Evander a saucy wink before she disappeared behind the stone door. She mouthed, "And that's why we follow you around!"

Evander proceeded to gently thunk his forehead against the cool stone walls while he waited for one Colin Creevey to show up.


	10. Shattering

"Oomph... I am terribly sorry!" Colin Creevey apologized profusely upon walking into Evander in his haste. The short brown-haired boy looked extremely distracted. He looked rather nervously between the door of the Potions classroom and Evander.

"No problems there, Colin." Evander reassured the boy. There was a certain pang in his chest that hit whenever he saw one of the victims of the _Final_ battle. He had gotten it under control for the most part, but every now and then, he would be caught unawares.

"You know my name?" Colin looked pleasantly surprised. "Merlin... I-I-we've never met! I know you... you are Evander Murphy – common room gossip and all that – smart and helpful – an excellent Seeker – but I don't think you are as good as our Harry!"

Evander put his hand up in an attempt to stop Colin's rambling. He did smile at Colin's loyalty. "I know; people like to talk. It's just how things work."

"Yeah, they do." Colin agreed readily. The boy then resumed a more agitated look. "Oh bollocks, I've got to get Harry for the _Wand-Weighing_ from Professor Snape. I am already running late..."

"I can fetch him for you from Professor Snape." Evander offered, "It won't be too much of a hassle for me... I know how –"

"Really?"

"Yeah, really." Evander affirmed. Colin looked incredibly relieved before Evander started talking again, "Just one favour..." He pulled out Harry's wand from the pocket of his Ravenclaw robes. "Give this to Harry, will you? It's his -"

"Oh, of course," Colin reverently grasped his idol's wand, just as Evander opened the door to Severus' classroom. He strode in briskly. Daphne and Tracey who were sitting somewhere near the back waved and winked at him, Theo had a small smile for him and young-Blaise looked up in acknowledgement over his comprehensive looking Potions notes. Severus ignored him, of course, he and Felix often walked through the room while he was teaching class to get to the laboratory.

He caught the look of fury of his younger self at Draco after the blond Slytherin had flashed a well-timed ' _POTTER STINKS'_. Evander stood at the front, whilst Severus was threatening to test out shoddy antidotes on his students.

Severus finally realized that Evander wasn't leaving. "What do you want, Murphy? Can't you see –"

"The Triwizard people want Potter." Evander explained patiently, "He's to be upstairs – his escort is outside..."

"Ah, yes..." Severus turned to look at Harry, who was looking somewhat gladder at the prospect of not sitting through Potions. He sniped sarcastically, "Our representative Champion needs an escort..."

There were a few snickers from the Slytherin side of the room. Evander merely rolled his eyes. _Was this really necessary?_ He made himself a mental note to have a little chat with Severus sometime later.

"You do realize that Potter still has another hour of Potions to complete..." Severus said severely, "He can come upstairs after –"

"Oh no, they need him now – he's to take his things..." Evander insisted.

Severus sighed. "Very well, go – Potter."

After watching Harry pack up his things and head out the door, Evander headed for Severus' laboratory. Felix was already there, attempting to finish the weekly Runes problem-set that was due tomorrow, while being surrounded by several steaming cauldrons.

"Still working on it, mate?" Evander peered over Felix's shoulder.

"Oh shut it." Felix sniped distractedly. "I am getting really sick of doing things that I've already done before..."

"Yeah, I know." Evander sighed. "At least we aren't back in First Year or something – that would be awful..."

"Tell me about it." Felix brushed the edge of his tattered quill against his chin. "I want to work on my neuro-regeneration project. I want my new desktop that I bought last year; the internet would make my life so much easier for the research I am doing. I feel like I am living in the fucking Stone Age... I want –"

Evander laughed, "Yeah, I want things too."

"Tell you what –" Felix turned around to face Evander, quill still tucked in his fingers. "Let's make a pharmaceutical company of sorts. I know a few interesting Potions that will help get our business started. We will invest a chunk of our earnings into the Muggle stock-market, since we know what's going to go up within the next few years anyways."

"That's actually bloody brilliant." Evander mulled the thought over. "Severus would be an excellent asset too. I think he would agree to help; it would get him a foot out the door for his plans to leave Hogwarts... So what Potion were you thinking...?"

Felix grinned inanely. "I was thinking along the lines of _Viagra_ actually. We can cater to both Muggle and magical... After all there are more Muggles than magical folk around. I mean, hell, we came from 2013 – might as well put the successful money-making ideas to use."

Evander then burst into a loud fit of laughter, "Felix, you are a fucking genius! You really did put thought into this... We should probably work on the Muggle side of things, though. It puts the heat off us in the Wizarding world."

"Oh, I concur. We need some champagne."

"So do you know how to make _Viagra_?" Evander asked the important question. "Organic chemistry is not exactly part of the Hogwarts –"

"I know what the structure looks like – with all its moieties." Felix said slowly. "I snuck out to London the other day and got us a text or two on organic chemistry for review purposes. It's not hard to derive the process... If you wanted to be a Potions Master in the twenty-first century, you _had_ to know your chemistry inside and out. Of course the difficult thing is to get our stuff into clinical trials – none of us are formal principal investigators and none of have a M.D. or Ph.D behind our names... we are only bloody fourteen!"

"We can ask Severus..." Evander suggested. He then added reassuringly. "We can find somebody."

"Yeah," Felix nodded.

"Say, I am going to _Forbidden Forest_ today. I feel the need for some fresh air and a walk." Evander said casually, "Need anything?"

Felix consulted a calendar hanging on the side of the bench. He looked delighted. "Ooh, full moon! Get everything you can find then especially those lunar lilies... expensive as fuck at the apothecaries. Don't get rotted moonwart like you did last time!"

"Then don't wait up for me, tonight." Evander got up from his chair and headed out.

"Of course not, _dear_." Felix mused sarcastically. "Some people need their fucking beauty sleep."

* * *

Evander leisurely strolled around the periphery of the Great Lake. The chilly November winds buffeted at his dragon-clasped cloak, causing it to billow à la Severus. The debris of fallen leaves which hinted at the approach of winter crunched underfoot. The skies were dimming as Evander walked towards the bank of the lake and sat down on a crag overlooking the clear waters – which rather reminded of Evander of tea – with leaves, sticks and other detritus floating on the surface.

He had gone to the dorm and ditched his Hogwarts attire for a crisp forest green shirt, striped black tie knotted full-Windsor and a pair of his well-tailored trousers. He could pretend now that he was _Harry_ again, dressed in the immaculate apparel that he had worn in the future past. The colder weather had driven most people inside, and Evander had the grounds pretty much to himself.

There was a touch of sadness as he realized that some of the aspects of his previous life would not be carried over to his new one. He would never be _Head Auror_ again, never be Sirius' godson, nor would he be Teddy's godfather.

He had decided that he was going to do something different with his new life.

He didn't know exactly what, but it surely didn't involve working for the _Ministry._ He was tired of cleaning up after everyone's crap. Well, Felix's drug-making business sounded like a good starting point. Going from Harry Potter – the boy who lived – to Evander Murphy – the boy who sold little blue pills sounded highly amusing. Merlin knows how many _Viagra_ knockoffs he and his Aurors had confiscated over the past years.

The Wizarding equivalent hadn't shown up until the late end of the 2000s.

Maybe then he would take a leaf from the old book of Felix. He could go deep in the tropics of Africa and study the earliest of magical Runes, disappear for awhile into the Muggle world or even go Dragon-Chasing in mountainous China. It was a popular variant of extreme flying-sport in East Asia, and Evander had always wanted to try it out. It had sounded like something crazy that he would excel at. He could even go have a beer or two with Grindelwald at his prison in Nuremburg one day, and have tea in Kyoto the next.

He had been _Harry-fucking-Potter_ in his previous life; he was damn well entitled to do whatever he liked.

_So many choices_...

He stood up from the rocks that he had been perched upon, his bum numbed from the cold surface. He continued meandering along the circumference of the Lake, stopping now and then to watch the Giant Squid flop its tentacles lazily in the shallows or to gather some herbs for Potions.

"Murphy!"

Evander ignored the call. He didn't want anyone interrupting his nostalgic mood. Maybe the childish ploy of feigning ignorance could achieve what he wanted. Not that it mattered; his illusion had been shattered by the shout of his present identity. But it was futile, for his sharp ears could hear the sounds of snapping twigs of someone running to catch up to him. He suddenly turned around, to see one Draco Malfoy –surprisingly disheveled from his run – breathing hard.

"Damn it, Murphy – when someone calls you... you bloody stop! I ran half the bloody lake for you..."

"It's just you..." Evander said nonchalantly and continued his stroll, "How touching..."

Draco flushed at Evander's sarcasm. "And here, I thought _you_ wanted to talk to me... why else would you take my wand?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Evander mused rather casually, "To make you miserable? To make you appreciate the vulnerability of a wizard without his wand? The possibilities are endless... or maybe I have no motives altogether. The world, contrary to what you believe, does _not_ revolve around you."

Draco merely blinked. He then asked. "Who the fuck do you think you are? I am –"

"Evander... nothing more, nothing less." Evander suddenly stopped, almost causing Draco to crash into him. He looked towards the lake. "Who are you, Draco?"

Draco sounded taken aback by Evander's question. "The heir of the Malfoys, rich –"

"No," Evander cut him off. "I meant, who are you as a person?" He sharply turned around and scrutinized Draco.

The suddenness of it all caused the blond to flinch.

Here was a boy who defined his entire existence on his heritage; a boy that was taught to believe that he was superior to everyone 'beneath' him. But Evander knew that the walls of arrogance had taken a pounding since Draco had come to Hogwarts. Here, friendship could not be bought with prestige and skill was not guaranteed with the purity of the blood. And respect was fickle; one could easily be popular one day, and dethroned the next.

Evander knew that from bitter experience.

There was something that moved on Draco's cloak near his collarbone and like a tongue of a frog, Evander casually brushed against the soft fabric of Draco's cloak with his fingers.

"What the hell are you –"

Evander revealed the insect trapped betwixt his thumb and index finger. He knew he was smiling sadistically. He wasn't anticipating catching her so early in the game. "You've been bugged. I was collecting Potion ingredients before you interrupted me. And, we happen to be out of black beetles..." He could feel the bug redouble her efforts to escape captivity between his digits.

"You are barmy!" Draco suddenly shouted as Evander retrieved a glass flask from his robes. He unstoppered the flask with his pinky and fourth finger. With a little bit of wandless magic to temporarily immobilize the bug, he unceremoniously tossed her in. He replaced the stopper and summoned his wand. He tapped the flask thrice before returning both objects to their original place.

"And you are immature..." Evander drawled lazily, "If we are listing faults."

"I am not –" Draco began to say before leaping onto another topic, "You aren't on Potter's side... are you? This isn't some ploy to –"

Evander laughed. They were walking again, towards the _Forbidden Forest_. "Now, why would you think that, Draco?"

"Because some of the Ravens came by at Lunch to retract their signatures?" Draco was suspicious. "People listen to you, Murphy. I don't know why –"

"I don't know why you would accuse me of such a thing." Evander said amusedly. He wasn't lying, that incident in the morning had been all Felix and the rest of the rational Ravenclaws. And really, he wasn't interested if Draco and Harry got along; there were more important things to worry about. "I don't give a shit whether you like Potter or not."

It wasn't until they were under the more densely wooded transition between the grassy grounds and the _Forest_ when Draco exclaimed, "This is the _Forbidden Forest_ , Murphy! It's forbidden –"

"Are you afraid?" Evander turned to look at Draco carefully again. The boy seemed rather agitated. That experience back in _First_ year hadn't seemed to endear the Slytherin to the Forest. "It's where the wild things are..."

Draco observed, "You aren't fucking afraid at all!"

"No." Evander smiled faintly. He said sincerely, "I don't fear the wild things. There's always something about the wilderness that appeals to me."

Draco was temporarily silent. He then started to say, "I-I... kind of –"

"Envy me?" Evander finished for him. He then proceeded to laugh. It was bitter; it was hard. It was irony for wasn't it him that had saved Draco's sorry ass so many long years ago, after Draco had done everything to try and kill him?

_The truth is never easy to swallow – but yet it makes free..._

He knew what younger Draco wanted. And he knew that the Draco of fourteen wasn't capable of admitting such. It was a weakness, and Draco would never show it, willingly.

Evander continued, seeing that Draco looked like he had slapped him. "I know. It's obvious – you look irritated whenever I walk by with Daphne, Tracey, Blaise or Theo. You were angry when I disarmed you without a single warning – furious that you couldn't do anything about it. But it doesn't just extend to me, doesn't it? You envy the girl you call mudblood, don't you? Such low status, yet she consistently outscores you every time. Oh and Merlin forbid, you _might_ even envy Potter – I bet you wished your name was picked out of the Gob-"

"Shut up!" Draco yelled. "Shut up! Shut up!"

A rustle in the bushes suddenly caused Draco to stop. It made him realize exactly which treacherous part of Hogwarts he was currently standing on. He skittishly looked around for the source of the noise.

He also looked longingly towards the way back.

"You want to run, don't you?" Evander observed quietly. "I won't stop you."

There was a mixture of conflicted emotions on Draco's face as he looked towards Hogwarts and then at Evander. He asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

"You followed me." Evander rolled his eyes. "You can leave at anytime."

Draco said defiantly – pseudo-bravado, really, "Anywhere you go, I can go."

Evander rolled his eyes at the sudden change in attitude, but he strode deeper into the tangle of trees, shrubs, fallen logs and perilous roots that threatened to trip the fools who dared to brave the depths of the forbidden woods. Draco stumbled and tripped his way through the forest, breaking twigs and branches in his wake while Evander's steps were silent and sure. The distant sound of hooves forced Evander to forcefully yank Draco into a massive hollowed out trunk. He kept Draco silent with a palm as the sounds of Centaurs galloping passed them.

_Here he was, saving Draco's ass again..._

When the coast was clear, they continued their hike. Draco was starting to look rather miserable, his expensive cloak had a few tears in the material and he had twigs, leaves and other forest debris adorning his hair. Evander, meanwhile, was feeling a little more alive than he had all day. His cloak and leather boots were made for hardship and this wasn't the first time he had taken a little foray into forbidden grounds.

A few large acromantulas could be seen scurrying around. Evander retrieved his wand. Without a word, enormous large bluish-white flames flared from both ends of Evander's wand. Draco was wide-eyed as he watched Evander ward off the approaching arachnids with his double ended flame-sword of sorts.

"Arcomantulas," Evander explained simply. "Flesh eating spiders – you wouldn't want to get close to one. You can repel them with fire."

Draco nodded dumbly as they continued onwards.

"Fire is a very useful thing..." Evander mused. "It can warm, it can protect, it can cook..." He then turned to look at Draco. "It can also destroy. _Incendio_ and _Fiendfyre_... are more dangerous than they seem. In magic, control is everything. If you lose it... it could easily prove fatal."

"Can you do the _Unforgivables_?" Draco asked rather impulsively. His voice was a whisper. He looked towards Evander's face, and saw the frigidness that had suddenly fallen upon the other boy's features. "Forget that I asked." Draco immediately took back the question.

"Can you?" Evander turned the ugly question back around.

Draco didn't dignify the question with a response when the pair finally reached a clearing. Evander immediately flopped down on the grass as Draco gazed around.

"I found this place a few weeks back..." Evander said, all traces of _Unforgivable_ talk forgotten, "It's very peaceful here. The thestrals come here to graze. If you are lucky, you might even see a unicorn; if you are luckier, you can pet them."

"What are thestrals?" Draco asked. He reluctantly sat down on the grass.

"Winged horses," Evander explained. "They are actually here now, grazing." He watched as Draco looked around, bemusedly. "Only those who have seen death can see them. It's a bittersweet thing..."

"You can see them." Draco stated.

"Yes." Evander agreed.

"Why are we here?" Draco asked again.

"Why shouldn't we be here?" Evander mused, "I come here because I can. I don't know why you decided to come."

"You have my wand still." Draco said.

"Fair enough," Evander agreed. "Here." He passed the hawthorn stick to Draco, who snatched it back. "The werewolves are out tonight..." Evander said, looking at the full moon.

"This is why anyone smart would be back at Hogwarts..." Draco mused darkly.

"You are right." Evander replied. "There's a line between stupidity and courageousness. It's a line that many people fail to grasp..."

"Gryffindors..." Draco said.

"It's not just Gryffindors... it's applicable to anyone." Evander said severely. "The sooner you realize that people are heterogeneous, the better off you'd be."

He then proceeded to get up. He pulled a cloth bag out of his pocket and began to look for the flora that he was going to collect. There were magical plants that only flowered during certain phases of the lunar period, deep in the _Forbidden Forest_. He spent the next half hour or so, harvesting some of these plants especially the lunar lilies with his various sharp Potions knives while Draco paced close by.

The Slytherin looked deep in thought.

"I want to be powerful like you." Draco suddenly said with an air of finality. "It's power... I want that respect – the kind that you get. Not the kind that Potter gets for being the boy-who-couldn't-die, not the respect that I get for being Father's son."

"Respect is not equivalent to power..." Evander sighed.

"It's got to be." Draco insisted. "It must be... Look at the Dark Lord – even Dumbledore... Two of the most powerful wizards to have ever existed on this world. And how people respect them..."

"And yet, I respect none of them." Evander retorted.

"Father does..." Draco countered, "The Dark Lord –"

Evander stood up suddenly, abandoning his task and various harvesting tools. The wickedly sharp silver dagger with the ivory handle that he had been using to sever lunar lilies was still in hand. The bioluminescent purple liquid from the magical plants were still dripping viscously like blood on the blade.

The expression on his face must be horrible to behold, for Draco was stepping fearfully back now.

"Do you really have what it takes to be the next Dark Lord... hmmm?" Evander was advancing upon Draco. He caressed the metal blade of his knife, getting some of the glowing plant sap on his hand. "Do you even have what it takes to be a Death Eater?" Those were all rhetorical questions for Evander, but he knew that the Draco of fourteen didn't know the answers. "Can you even kill?" Evander saw Draco flinch at his tone.

Draco stopped when his back touched a thick wooden trunk. He cowered when Evander closed the last metres of space between them. He looked relieved when Evander turned back to look at the clearing, letting his hand with the knife drop to his side.

Evander's voice was now a whisper as he said rather confidingly, "Behind me, there's a unicorn. An innocent. If I asked you right this moment to kill it for its potent blood, would you do so? Would you do so if I threatened bodily harm upon your person?"

"You wouldn't –" Draco was shaking.

"Can I?" Evander's voice sounded amused. "Or, I could up the stakes. I could do what Voldemort did to Potter thirteen years ago, or like what he does to Death Eaters who can't tow the line. There are so many ways to kill..."

"No! You can't!" Draco was getting the implication of Evander's words. He then mustered what little courage he had and spat, "Father would beat you in a duel."

"I highly doubt it." Evander smirked. "What's he going to do? Cast the _Avada Kedavra_? Death Eaters are so unoriginal in their spellwork. Do you remember the day in DADA many weeks back...?"

"It was you." Draco said in awe. "You deflected the curse. You did what everyone said couldn't be done!"

"Nothing's impossible." Evander said with dark pleasantry, neither admitting nor refuting that he had done the deed. He then proceeded to grab Draco roughly by the shoulders and steered him towards the unicorn that he had mentioned earlier. It looked up at them with its bright eyes, its silvery mane gleaming under the moonlight.

It returned to grazing.

"Kill it." Evander hissed.

Draco reluctantly drew his wand. There was awkward uncertainty written all over his frightened body. His hand trembled when he raised the hawthorn stick towards the unicorn.

"We don't have all night." Evander said rather impatiently.

" _Ava_ –" Draco said hesitantly. It was two long minutes before Draco lowered his wand. He crumpled to the ground on his knees in front of Evander. "I can't... can't... I am pathetic. I can't even... I can't -"

"Get up!"

Draco wearily got up. He was looking everywhere but at Evander's gaze. He uttered rather brokenly, "You won't –"

"I am no fucking Voldy or Dumbledore." Evander said with great disgust. "Look at me, Draco."

Draco's eyes met his and Evander's voice became soft, even soothing. "You aren't pathetic, Draco. The people who are truly pathetic are the ones who would kill that unicorn in cold blood. The likes of Voldemort or Dumbledore wouldn't even think twice if killing would serve their 'grand' cause. You could be great, you know, Draco. Better than your Father ever was... far better than Voldemort ever was."

"How?" Draco looked wearily at Evander. There was some semblance of hope in his voice. "Teach me, Murphy, please. I want to be great."

"You can first start by finding and respecting yourself as a person, not some mini-model of your Father." Evander suggested. "Bury the jealousies, the petty hatreds – they aren't worth your while. You don't have to like people, but you don't need to hate them."

Draco merely nodded.

"We should be getting back, anyhow." Evander looked tiredly up at the skies. He walked back to retrieve the stuff that he had left behind. "It's long past your curfew..."

* * *

"So, vhere's Evander tonight?" Viktor asked gruffly as Felix sat across the library table.

"Taking a walk," Felix replied back, pulling out a stack of journals from his bag. "He feels confined by the stifling walls of Hogwarts."

Hermione almost squealed, "Hey, those are Muggle periodicals! My parents have some lying around the house! I didn't know you had Muggle roots!" She picked one of the _Nature_ s up and started flipping through the pages.

"I don't, actually." Felix mused. "I am interested in how one could regenerate neurons, just as one would reknit bone tissue via _Skele-gro_. I've got some ideas for derivations and I hope some of my attempts will work."

Hannah grabbed one of the journals from the pile. She flipped through it. "You understand all of this?" She made a face as she stumbled through the words, "Mitochondrial Hsp-70, flagellum, genomes – well, there's some news stuff too – stuff on space exploration, North Korean weapons... My mother's a Muggle so I know a bit about –"

"Well, be careful with that one," Felix smiled at Hannah, "Severus hasn't read it yet."

"Wait, what –" Hermione looked up from one of the neuroscience journals, "These belong to –"

"Shush!" Felix whispered forcefully, "He doesn't need to know who took his _Nature_ a week ago in the mail. He still thinks it hasn't arrived yet. I will just go repackage it and put it in his mailbox or something tomorrow." Well, really, Felix had _Apparated_ to Spinner's End last week during his textbook buying outing and had taken several journals that were residing in the shabby mailbox. He had left two behind, just in case Severus decided to take a trip to his house.

Both Viktor and Hannah laughed.

"You can't just go around taking other peoples' post –" Hermione said disapprovingly, "That's meddling –"

"Oh don't look at me like that." Felix gave her a puppy-eyed look. "I will return it, I swear!"

"Have you lot seen Evander, by any chance?" Felix felt a tap on his shoulder to see Daphne and Tracey.

Felix sighed melodramatically, "Why does everyone want Evander? That's the first question I get asked whenever I am spotted alone. We aren't exactly Siamese twins! Hi, my name is Felix; I am good-looking, charming, and intelligent too. I can use a wand just as well as Evander..."

Daphne patted the disgruntled Felix on the head. "We still love you, Felix. It's just that we want him to look over our Potions..."

"If Potions is slang for Runes problem set, Hermione and I can help too." Felix snapped harshly, none too happy with Daphne's head-patting treatment. She had used to that annoying thing back in the future-past too.

"Ooh, did you hear that, Tracey?" Daphne said with a grin.

Tracey smiled angelically, "I didn't know that our Felix could sound so sexy..."

The pair of giggling girls disappeared, presumably to get their Runes stuff, while Felix groaned. "What the hell did I just do?"

Viktor then offered, "Vhy don't you and Hannah go take a volk or something? I know Runes too; Herm-own-ninny and I can help Daphne and Tracy with their vork..."

"That's sounds like a good idea..." Hannah agreed. She started to put away her Potions text and stationary. "Come on, Felix. Let's go for a walk. Hurry, before Daphne actually does come back and take you up on your –"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" Felix hastily but carefully put his things away. Viktor gave him a discreet wink from across the table. _Oh damn it, was it really that obvious?_ He then smiled a bit. The Hannah of over a month ago would have been too shy to order him around like that. It was amazing what confidence could do for someone...

"Can I borrow this issue?" Hermione asked, gesturing with the glossy journal that she was holding. "I miss reading about Muggle science and stuff."

"Yeah, go ahead."

The two were soon walking in the relatively empty passageways of Hogwarts. Felix had to fight the urge to hold Hannah's hand, or even to rest his arm around her shoulders.

"I know why Viktor wanted us out of there..." Felix mused.

Hannah mused, "Wasn't he just being nice?"

"That's the convenient reason," Felix agreed, "He just wants to spend time with her – although I think I got the better end of the deal."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Felix smiled, "We don't have to tutor anybody."

Hannah laughed briefly, but then she sighed.

"Why so forlorn, Hannah..." _Dear..._ Felix barely trapped the term of endearment from leaving his lips.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Sometimes, I wonder what's like to grow up... I would love to be a professional Chaser or something like that. But sometimes I feel so pathetic – I couldn't even join my House team because I was so bloody shy –"

"We all have our little idiosyncrasies..." Felix mused philosophically, "It makes us human." He then said, "It would be boring to be perfect, really – not to mention that you will drive everyone around you bonkers."

"Or that feeling that you are a failure –" Hannah continued, "I remember before, in Potions – I was such a dunce at that subject until you started tutoring me. And there's that horrible day in Herbology where I ended up killing our _Puffpod_ plant by accident. Professor Sprout was all kindly about it, but I saw her eyes – that one second. And then there was that time that I believed that Sirius Black could change into a flowering shrub – it's so embarrassing!"

She then let out a hiccupy kind of laugh.

"I know what that feels too." Felix looked at her sadly. Nothing could compare to that day when he had found her dead. When he realized that he had failed at protecting the woman he had loved. He remembered thinking: _Here walked Blaise Zabini – epic failure of a husband._

"You seem so perfect..." Hannah stopped at a window overlooking the night-covered Hogwarts grounds.

"I am not." Felix said hoarsely. "I am so flawed and broken in places... you have no idea..."

Felix could feel Hannah's eyes scrutinizing him. He was slumped against the stone wall beside the window. He could feel his heart thump in his chest, his breathing was getting a little faster too – Merlin-damned sympathetic nervous system.

She finally asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" Felix recognized the look of worry in her brown eyes. It was so similar to the Hannah in his future that he wanted – wanted nothing more to put his arms around her. Kiss her maybe too.

"I don't think I can..." He said carefully. "You would never believe me, for one. Maybe when we are a lot older... I can tell you..." He mused, _maybe someday, when Voldemort was gone; maybe someday when he and Evander were well-established outside of Hogwarts, away from the shadows of their real past_.

"Felix!" She exclaimed, "This is the girl who believed that people can transform into sodding plants! I am so gullible – so naive –"

"No." Felix interjected. He said determinedly, "You aren't the same girl who believed in human-shrubs-morphs. I see it, Hannah. You are growing up. You fly that broom like – like..." He couldn't find the words. Well, he could, but they weren't appropriate for this place and time. They probably weren't appropriate... ever. _Like your older self..._

"Like what?" Hannah tentatively asked many moments of silence later.

"Like a pro." Felix finished quickly before his brain could think of anything dumber.

"You will tell me one day before we are old and grey?" Hannah asked. She held up a pinky. "Promise?"

"Yeah," Felix couldn't bring himself to say no. He slowly reached for Hannah's pinky with his own, and they shook on it. He did; however, keep the skin contact a few seconds longer than necessary.

_Somewhere up there, there was someone who enjoyed his prolonged misery._

* * *

Evander was exhausted the next day. By the time he had escorted Draco, unseen, back the Slytherin common room, it was almost four in the morning. He had then spent the next two hours drying and preserving all the ingredients he had obtained through his little expedition in the laboratory while a black beetle in a magically-impervious glass flask sitting nearby looked on. He wondered if Skeeter had gone insane yet in solitary and silent confinement. He had applied a sound-proofing charm on the flask so that the insect could not hear what was going on outside after all some little things had awfully big ears. He had put the beetle flask in _his_ drawer; he was too tired to deal with her now. He had then headed off to the Ravenclaw common room for a shower and a quick snooze.

Class was the usual; he and Felix sat at the back of the room, pretending to take notes. Felix had was working on some Owl Order forms for their new business venture, after doing research on which profitable Potions the pair could sell legally under Severus' Potions' Mastery licence. Evander reflected that Felix was a hell lot more law-conscientious than Fred and George had been when they had started their Owl Order business for prank items. In retrospect, Evander mused, he was actually really surprised by how much the twins had been able to get away with in the legal department during the days of Voldemort.

Draco wasn't faring much better than him. They were all sitting in Transfiguration. Evander had spent his period watching Draco's forehead moving closer and closer to the hard wooden surface of his table. Evander knew that he was just as exhausted, but long shifts as an Auror had conditioned him to ignore his fatigue. The Slytherin boy had been unusually quiet all day. He had even witnessed Draco walking past younger-him without a single insult emerge from his mouth. The boy still had his 'Potter sucks!' badge pinned on his robes, but pretending that Harry didn't exist seemed to be a step in the right direction.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you cannot seem to stay awake in my class, perhaps you would find the bed in your dormitory of better interest – five points from Slytherin!"

Evander watched as Draco suddenly snapped up in shock. Pansy looked sympathetically at her friend while there were a few guffaws from the Ravenclaw portion of the class.

The practical portion of the class was soon upon them. Evander lazily examined one of the pin cushions that they were required to transfigure. "How about a pink hedgehog?"

"I don't think hedgehogs come in that variety..." Felix said dryly.

"Well, it's a reverse transfiguration... Frankly, I think McGonagall might give extra credit for something interesting." Evander said, "We did the opposite last week. I still remember Terry's pincushion squirming around whenever someone touched it with a pin."

"I think she's aiming for realistic hedgehogs." Felix picked up a purple pincushion, "Do you want to try first?"

"You are no fun." Evander complained. He then mused. "I've wondered though... If you transfigure a hedgehog into a pincushion, leave it for a few decades and transform it back, is it: a) dead or b) is it a different hedgehog altogether?"

"I don't get it either." Felix agreed, "I am guessing different, since we could always transfigure things like teacups that have never been animals into gerbils, but what I don't understand is why we can't we transfigure inorganics into food."

"I suppose if I was really starving and lost in the wilderness... I would probably transfigure a rock into a chicken and feed myself like that." Evander offered a thought experiment, "I mean, the bloody hell, we can generate water from nothing –"

"Okay, Evander, when we are rich, I think we better do some DNA sequencing on some hedgehog, transfigure it into a pincushion, and then re-transfigure it back and repeat the sequencing. You have whetted my curiosity!"

"But that doesn't solve anything –" Evander began to say but was interrupted by an irate Professor McGonagall, "Murphy, Wedgewood, have you even attempted –"

Felix hastily grabbed a pincushion and tapped it with his wand. He uttered an incantation and a brown hedgehog was soon ambling around the surface of the table.

Professor McGonagall looked then at Evander, who repeated what Felix did. A very pale, pinkish hedgehog emerged in place of the red pincushion.

"It's an albino!" Evander said proudly.

"Very well, ten points to Ravenclaw for your successful transfigurations." Professor McGonagall said rather reluctantly. She walked off to check on Anthony and Terry, who had already managed the Transfiguration.

"See, pink is legitimate!" Evander exclaimed.

Felix huffed comically, "Touché." He then added more quietly, "I think McGonagall is just peeved that –"

"She couldn't catch us on a bad day?" Evander completed. "Yeah, I think she knows how much we really pay attention in class. She's a little annoyed that we never really seem to have trouble with anything... Shush now, I want to eavesdrop."

Felix shook his head as Evander turned his attention to the Slytherin portion of the classroom near the front.

"Draco, seriously where were you last night?" Pansy asked, "I looked everywhere for you, and Goyle and Crabbe did too –"

"I told you already at breakfast and at the beginning of class," Draco huffed in annoyance, "I went out for a walk."

"But it was after cur-" Pansy whined. She then said accusingly, "You never go for walks –"

"Well, maybe I wanted to take one!" Draco almost hissed this time. Evander had always thought that Pansy was the overbearing type of person. He almost felt sorry for Draco. _Almost._

"You are seeing someone!" Pansy suddenly pointed an accusing finger at Draco, "I knew it! And it's not from our House, is it? Why else would you be sneaking around after curfew – It's a Gryff-"

"And I can't believe you slept in the Common Room yesterday!" Draco drawled back.

_Good move..._ Evander thought to himself. Counter controversial with controversial even though the contents of the conversation would probably be fodder for the rumor mill today.

"Well, excuse me for being worried about you yesterday..." Pansy shot back.

Evander's fun was taken away when Millicent nudged Pansy, "Can't you guys talk it out somewhere private? I think everyone's eavesdropping at this point..."

Pansy flushed when she looked around the room.

"Please don't tell me you had anything to do with this, yesterday?" Felix whispered suspiciously in Evander's ear.

Evander shrugged and said with utmost innocence, "Like I told you earlier, I simply took a walk. I picked you flowers too!"

Felix rolled his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm... I don't know if I can keep up with a chapter a week. My sincere apologies for delays.
> 
> It sucks because I am entering a very busy phase of my life. I am in that sticky spot where undergrad is done next year and I have to start considering and applying for professional schools/grad school. I am also taking a full courseload of science courses (summer school sucks i know), getting paid to do research (got to allocate the time to do that too) and I am going to have to write some standardized tests within these months too.
> 
> But I will see what I can do.
> 
> But writing fanfics, in my opinion, has helped with my writing (even the scientific variety) a lot. I highly recommend it to people who love fandoms and feel that their writing skills could need some improvement.


	11. Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not quite done with Draco yet... ehehehe... And don't get your hopes up on pairings. Even with Yule coming up soon, the pairings that end up going to the ball will probably not be the ultimate pairings at the end of the story – just a little early warning. As someone in my twenties, I think it's absurd to know who you are going to be with for life when you are fourteen! (But I am not saying that can't happen either.)
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for the kind support. Although it's getting to mid-semester again and I just realized today that my Genetics midterm is on Tuesday! Whoops; time flies fast!

Draco trudged wearily down the stone floors of Hogwarts' passageways, his green cloak trailing heavily behind him. _This was quite frankly the shittiest day in his Merlin-forsaken life._ The whispers and judging stares of his fellow Slytherins after dinner in the common room had been enough to send him scurrying. And his frazzled brain still hadn't managed to put together the downhill chain of events that led to his current predicament. _It was all fucking Murphy's fault._ That Ravenclaw made a better Slytherin than most.

He conjured some blue flames from his wand to illuminate the steps leading to the top of the _Astronomy Tower_. _What have I done to deserve this?_ It had all started when he had returned back to the common room near dawn. Pansy had stayed up waiting for him – he had obviously forgotten how nosy and clingy Pansy could be.

' _Where have you been, Draco? I've been waiting all night for you!'_

' _I went out for a walk, Pansy!'_

And she had taken one skeptical look at his disheveled and torn cloak, his windswept hair and the few bruises and scratches that he had accumulated from a convenient combination of falling and walking into unforgiving branches. It was obvious that she didn't believe him. _Even though it was the fucking truth._ Then there had been more nagging at breakfast, another side of nagging during double- _Transfiguration_ where he had been fighting so hard not to fall asleep, more interrogation during lunch, and... then there was Herbology. Everyone had their breaking point and for today with the lack of sleep as a catalyst, Draco's threshold had been particularly low.

' _Can you drop it already?'_ Draco had sniped in great annoyance while they were collecting fruit from their _Snapping Plants_ – the vicious buggers had specialized leaves in the form of hollow crab claws which was used to protect the fruit within.

' _Not until you tell me the truth, Draco dear.'_ Pansy had said.

' _I told you the fucking truth.'_ Draco remembered hissing. _'I wasn't out having relations with some girl.'_

Pansy had rolled her eyes at that point, while Millicent had been the only one dutifully attending to the fruit-picking task assigned to them. Draco had felt a sense of incredible resentment at that point and any restraint he had left snapped, _'Why do you care if I was out with some girl anyways? It's not like you are my bloody girlfriend. Merlin-forbid if I ever date you –'_

' _But Draco,'_ Pansy had whined. Millicent, at that point, had dropped whatever she had been doing and was fully paying attention to their little spat now.

He cut in before she could open her mouth again, _'No Pansy, I wouldn't marry you if you were the last witch in Britain – no, I take that back – on this entire planet.'_ It was true though. Draco never had any desire to date Pansy. And he knew that Pansy was really only nice to him because she saw him as a potential suitor, but there had been a reason why he had never deliberately ended the farce... Her braying laughter set him on edge, she was only caring towards those who were of any value to her, she got her kicks from spreading nasty gossip – _oh fuck..._ _That was why..._

If he had any functioning brains at all this morning, he would have made up some reason that Pansy would have bought. For instance, he was sure that if he had said that his godfather had taken him to the _Forbidden Forest_ to teach him how to collect some special ingredients, she would have bought it. _But no, he had to go forth and handle this ugly situation with the tact of a troll._

"Go away, Draco."

The unexpected voice jerked Draco out of his thoughts when he saw that someone had already beaten him to the top. It was Blaise Zabini, dressed in a dark cloak, leaning against the battlements of the tower.

"Seriously, go find your own spot –"

"I had a shitty day –" Draco interjected.

"And I have a fucking shitty life," Blaise crossed his arms against his chest. There was a strange bitterness in his voice. "At least your mommy loves you, Drakie-poo. And that Granger-girl –"

"Don't call me that! And for the last time, I am not dating –"

"You know what? I don't care. You have your problems, I have mine." Blaise said nonchalantly. "Just go away, will you? Let's be civil about this – I got here first, so I get dibs. Now, can you please, scram?"

Draco gave the boy a kicked-puppy look before heading back down the stairs; it earned him a loud _'Still not caring!'_ from Blaise. One nook in his mind noted that this was the most words he had heard Blaise speak in a long while.

_And Blaise did say please._

_After Herbology had been dinner._ Pansy had taken her revenge then. He hadn't been very hungry, toying around with the bits of lasagna and greens on his plate. Pansy had been sitting to his right, with her usual court of giggling third, fourth and fifth year girls who were all eager for the latest slice of gossip, and wanting to be in with the wealthy Parkinson heiress.

' _\- so guess who I saw slinking in this morning, far after curfew'_ Draco remembered suddenly sitting up a little straighter on the bench. He nonchalantly took a bite out of his lasagna, while Pansy had continued. ' _Our Drakie-poo – he had leaves in his hair, tears in his clothes – a bruise or two –'_ Pansy had really turned gossip into an art form – the tone she used; it had a intimate quality to it, as if she was letting her audience in on a secret. Simultaneously, there was a magnetic draw to it too, designed to make the people that weren't originally listening, pay attention. He had knew then, that things were really going down the shithole – Pansy only reserved this tone of voice for the juiciest of embarrassments.

' _Do go on, Pansy-dear.'_ Millicent had prodded.

' _I thought it was highly unusual...'_ Pansy had mused, putting on a rather thoughtful expression. _'I mean, this was Draco – he never slinks about after curfew unlike some other people in our honorable House. So, logically, I thought about Theo – you know what –'_

The attention had then shifted from Pansy to Theo. The dark-haired boy was sitting with Daphne, Tracey and Blaise on the opposite side of the table. Draco had noticed Theo temporarily stiffen at the sound of his name, but the boy had turned his cool gaze towards Pansy and asked haughtily, _'What about me?'_

' _Oh, nothing – Theo-darling –'_ Pansy had drawled innocently, _'Just a little matter of you and a certain Ravenclaw...'_ There had been chortles from some of Pansy's inner circle of sorts.

' _What Ravenclaw?'_ Theo had asked sharply.

It had been a fifth year girl who interrupted in a singsong voice, _'Theo and Su, sitting in a tree, K-I –'_

Theo had flushed, just as Pansy had said sweetly, _'Theo, dear, was that supposed to be a secret? We knew what was going on before you started to skip out after curfew for your little rendezvous with your little girlfriend. Scrawny as a stick, but I suppose you were attracted to her brains -?'_

' _Shut your mouth, Pansy.'_ Theo had mustered while looking down at his plate in embarrassment.

Pansy had kept going, _'And you know how well I know Draco – I mean I knew Draco ever since we were toddlers. So I thought –'_

' _He's seeing someone, isn't he?'_ One of the girls had asked suspiciously.

' _Who?'_ Millicent had jumped in, _'Who is he seeing, Pansy?'_

_Fuck_. Draco had sworn mentally. He had then mentally braced himself to whatever horror Pansy was going to unleash into the rumor-mill.

' _Well, at least Theo's dating a pureblood...'_ Pansy had started on again.

' _Come on, Pansy, let us have it already. Stop deflecting!'_

' _Yeah, who is it?_

' _Alright,'_ Pansy had said with reluctance. _'It's that slag – the Mudblood Granger. You know how she's been this year – there's that Potter and Weasley, but she's gotten pretty ambitious this year, hasn't she? She's bagged Viktor Krum, hasn't she? And there's those other hand some Ravenclaw boys she's been hanging with –'_ She had paused to allow a few of the girls to sigh wistfully before continuing, _'Haven't you noticed that Potter's been out of sorts? Apparently being Triwizard Champion isn't good enough for the Mudblood.'_

There had been a stunned silence amongst the gathered.

Millicent had piped up, _'The evidence, Pansy?'_

' _Very simple, Millicent-darling,'_ Pansy had smiled pleasantly. _'Sneaking around in the late-hours – indicative of shame – and have you lot noticed that Drakie-poo has seemingly abandoned his campaign?_ ' She had turned her attention to the badge on her robes and tapped it once. It flashed 'Potter STINKS!' All the other girls around her had also flashed their badges. She then asked with a tone of satisfaction, _'So Draco, where is your badge?'_

_Crap._ Draco had looked down at his robes, desperately wanting the badge that he had been wearing every day for a good week to be present. But his wish might as well be a fish for he had left his badge back in the dormitory, after taking it off in the morning in an attempt to turn over a new leaf.

' _He obviously wants to get into Granger's good books.'_ Pansy had said carelessly. _'Need I say more?'_

There were head shakes from the gathered as everyone on the right side of the table turned their scrutiny towards him. Something in him had snapped at that moment for the second time today when he stood up and said forcefully, _'I am not dating Granger."_ He paused to look at the doubting looks before him. He then proceeded to fling a barb of his own, _"You know what, Pansy? I think you are just fucking jealous that Granger got all the blokes, and you can't get any – is that right?'_

Ah, Pansy and her gossip. It had just enough truth in the mix to keep the lies credible. _And to think that he used to watch in glee in the past while he watched Pansy humiliate and tarnish the reputations of others._ He allowed his boot-clad feet to lead him towards the dungeons towards his godfather's quarters. _Murphy was fucking right_. _He had been skulking behind his family's pureblooded reputation for the entirety of his life and without that respect, he was – dare he think it? – nothing._ He wasn't surprised at all that most of the House had taken Pansy's side in all this; this was the way of his House, people subtly battling it out for power, for prestige.

His first reflex had been to write a letter to his Father, detailing this unjust situation, but he had incinerated the parchment halfway through. It was an easy way out, he had reflected, but he was starting to realize that he had earned a reputation as a _'Daddy's boy'_. No one in his House had ever dared to say it to his face, but he had realized tonight, with help of Murphy's words from the previous night, that people had been laughing at him – not just in his House, but all the other Houses – because he needed his Father to fight his fights for him. The second course of action would have been to beg for Pansy's forgiveness, but seeing her in his mind's eye saying nastily, _'What are you going to do about it, Drakie-poo? Write to your Father? I gave you all day to make up for it!'_ He winced when he imagined her braying at the end at his vulnerability.

That had been an immediate turn-off as well.

And that again, led him to the heart of the entire matter: the mysterious Ravenclaw by the name of Evander Murphy. If he could start all this shit, then he could put an end to it too. He pushed the unlocked door and stepped into the deserted Potions' classroom, lit by the greenish torches held by brackets carved into stone. He stopped when he saw the red chalk on the stone floor at the entrance to the tunnel.

_Do not disturb. Games in progress. You have been warned. Seek prefects if there is a problem worthy of attention. – E. M. & S. S._

Noting that Murphy was fucking scary when crossed, Draco did the only logical thing. He slouched down against the stone wall and sat himself down. _Staying here sure beat the toxic environment in the common room._

He could afford to stay here for a little while.

* * *

The next noon, Evander found himself grading a rather sizable stack of _First_ year Potions essays with one of Severus' infamous red-ink quills. He'd never envisioned that he would end up on this side of the quill, as Severus' proxy grader. It wasn't that he volunteered for such a task, but he had lost rather spectacularly at a particularly competitive game of _Scrabble_. _Who in the bloody fuck knew that suq, haj and bezique were acceptable words?_ Felix had won, Severus had came a close second and while he, well, might as well pretend that late-evening game never occurred; it would be less embarrassing that way. And what was the cost of losing? Marking Severus' _First_ and _Second_ year essays, while Severus still owed Felix a favour to be determined at a later date.

"Evander," Felix strolled over to him, still dressed in his grey cloak. Evander knew that Felix had gone out this morning for reasons unknown.

Evander was sitting leisurely against Severus' comfortable office chair, his legs propped on the surface of the desk and the papers in his lap.

"Can't you see I am busy?" Evander mumbled as he crossed out a particularly abysmally-written paragraph.

"Yeah," Felix agreed, but he took the chair across from Evander anyways, "Severus isn't going to be happy that you are treating his desk as –"

"I like to live dangerously." Evander said with great amusement, "Plus, he left for _Diagon Alley_ shortly after you left through the _Floo_."

"Anyways," Felix plowed onwards, cutting Evander off. "We've got some business. I just went to _Diagon_ to hand out some of our Owl Order forms that I finished yesterday. I also brought along additional stocks of Potions that we had on hand –"

"Felix Wedgewood, drug dealer –" Evander had stopped grading.

"Very funny." Felix replied back before continuing, "I sold most of it and –"

"Were any of the customers female?" Evander winked rather saucily, complete with suggestive eyebrow waggle. He then looked Felix up and down. "Actually, it doesn't even matter if they are ma-"

Felix flushed, "Shut up, or I am taking your share –"

"And I am going on strike! After all, only I know where in the _Forbidden Forest_ –"

"Will you just please let me finish?" Felix smacked his palms loudly against the surface of Severus' desk in exasperation. "If you behave for the rest of the day, maybe I will even help you mark those essays –"

Evander obligingly took his feet off Severus' desk and sat up straight. "I am behaving." He said rather childishly.

"Yeah, sure, whatever..." Felix shook his head. He then proceeded to stage whisper to an imaginary audience, "And this... used to be my boss!"

"You suck!"

"Well, you are just sore that you didn't know what a suq was last night!" Felix had a look of satisfaction upon his features, rather like the grin of the Cheshire cat at his supposedly beautiful comeback.

Evander ignored the barb, even though it did sting. He got up from the chair, left the grading on the desk and started walking towards the Potions classroom. He had remembered that he ought to remove that message that he had left at the mouth of the tunnel. "As you were saying?" He continued on the conversation.

"As I was saying," Felix continued as if the burst of immaturity never manifested, "We have customers that placed orders already. Some basic stuff like _Pepper-up_ , _Fever-reducer, Rash-reliever_ , _Itch-be-Gone_ and even your personal favourite – _Hangover Potion_. Apparently one of the suppliers for the Apothecary went under recently, and the owner has been looking for some time for a replacement and also that we are relatively cheap when they order in bulk. There's also some complex stuff too –"

Felix stopped talking when they saw Draco's dozing figure on the hard stone ground, next to the red chalk. Evander bent down to see if there was anything out of the ordinary. "He seems fine."

"Does the great Evander Murphy have an explanation for why Draco Malfoy is sleeping here?" Felix asked.

Evander shrugged, "What do we do with him?"

Felix bent down too. "Hey, Draco, rise and shine!"

The blond boy woke up with a start, looking dazedly from Evander to Felix.

"Do you sleepwalk, by any chance, Draco?" Evander asked conversationally.

They both watched as Draco looked wearily at the stone floor and stone walls that surrounded him. "No." The boy muttered. "I was looking for –"

"Severus is out –" Felix informed rather kindly.

"No, no – him!" Draco pointed a finger at Evander.

Felix rolled his eyes and muttered to Evander, "What have you done this time, oh great one?"

"Shut up, Felix," Evander summoned his wand and _evanescoed_ the red markings away in a nonchalant fashion.

"I hope you haven't been out traumatizing the Slytherins, dear." Felix said with great humor. He then looked suspiciously at Evander, "I also hope this didn't have to do anything with your walk yesterday –"

It was Evander's turn to look at Felix with great exasperation. Felix shrugged and started heading back towards the way they had came. "If you need me, I will be in the lab."

"Okay, so why do you need me?" Evander turned his attention back to Draco, who was now sitting up on the hard, cold stone.

"To put things to rights," Draco had his arms crossed.

"Who am I, your father?" Evander asked with great amusement. "So what was the wrong?"

"You don't know?" Draco looked surprised, "I thought everyone –"

"Felix and I had dinner with Severus yesterday. We spent all evening playing a rather horrific game of Scrabble..." Upon seeing Draco's confusion, Evander explained patiently, "It's a Muggle game, Draco."

Draco made a small _'oh'_ sound.

Evander sat down on the hard cold floor too, just so that he was on an equal level to Draco. "So, what happened?"

He listened to Draco's tale of woe with the impression of utmost seriousness. It was a good thing that he had a lot of practice in that area from his old job as Uncle and years spent listening to the complaints of fellow Aurors to crooks, because he wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the rumor that Pansy had apparently spread throughout the Hogwarts populace. There was no way in hell Hermione would ever date Draco. And the opposite was apparently true too, from his observations of Draco. He barely stifled a laugh when he had the imagery of Hermione and Draco standing at the altar, while Lucius Malfoy made the most interesting faces throughout the proceedings.

"Is that it?" Evander asked after Draco stopped talking for a few seconds.

"What do you mean by _'is that it'_?" Draco was taken aback, "It's a very big deal!"

Evander sighed and gave in, "Alright, it's a very big deal."

"So what do I do?" Draco asked.

"Nothing," Evander said simply. "Nothing at all."

Draco looked absolutely flummoxed by the simple suggestion.

"You've got to stop putting firewood in the fire, Draco." Evander took pity on Draco. "Pansy obviously lives for attention and your apparent suffering, so stop giving her that satisfaction. And gossip has a half-life – it will eventually go away when people realize you don't give a shit and they don't see you and Hermione going out. Honestly, Draco, you shouldn't care so much about what other people think."

"So, what do I do now?" Draco looked pitifully at Evander. "I mean, I can't exactly go back to the –"

"You can't exactly hide either." Evander said, "That's giving in – no more sleeping on the floor of the Potions' classroom, alright? And go find a hobby or something until Pansy finds someone else to defame over the next few weeks."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Evander shrugged, looking at Draco with some exasperation. "Bird-watching? Reading? Strolls into the _Forbidden Forest_?"

Draco looked so downcast at the suggestions offered and Evander realized that at this point, he had to spoon-feed the poor boy. "What do you like doing?"

Evander watched as Draco spent a lot of time thinking before the blond boy said, "I like solving puzzles. I also like Potions –"

"Fine." Evander stood up suddenly. Draco, looking awkwardly at Evander, stood up too. "Come with me. I think we can use an extra pair of hands."

Utterly perplexed, Draco followed Evander down the tunnels into his godfather's inner sanctum.

* * *

"Where the bloody hell do you keep your knives, Evander?" Felix asked in frustration as he rifled through drawer after drawer. The ex-Potions' Master eventually opened Evander's personal drawer and picked up a glass flask with the one lone black beetle, "And why do you have this –"

"And why are you looking through my private drawer?" Evander turned around from a logbook that detailed the tally of Potions needed for each new order that Felix had gotten earlier in the morning. He didn't mind that Felix was looking through his stuff, but questioning the contents of his drawer was a step too far. "You see that piece of yellow tape on the metal – it clearly says _Evander's Drawer_!"

"I need a steel knife..." Felix said.

"It's here." Evander pulled out a shrunken roll of knives from his robe pocket. "Good Potions knives are hard to come by and not to mention, expensive, as I am sure you are aware of." He summoned his wand and tapped the object, which expanded to its original size. He unrolled the leather, revealing an impressive assortment of knives. There were large knives, small knives, a gold knife, his ivory-silver knife and even a miniature scythe of sorts.

"You walk around with that?" Felix sounded surprised, "You have enough weapons to equip an army!"

"So where's your steel knife?"

"I lent mine to Hannah. Her knife kind of got dissolved in a little accident –"

"Because there's nothing like saying ' _I love you'_ with a knife?" Evander grinned teasingly. He also knew that Felix's knives each cost an arm and a leg, but at least they were treated so that strange Potions accidents couldn't happen to them.

Felix actually blushed. "Oh, shut it."

Evander said gently, "I understand." He then said rather documentary-like, "It's the odd courtship ritual of Potions' Masters – the tools of love –"

"Oh, just give me the damned knife." Felix sniped in a rather annoyed fashion.

Evander passed the knife, before reshrinking and putting away his knives. He picked up the flask containing the lone black beetle and watched as the insect scurried around in the moist, leafy environment that he had generously provided. He recognized the curly antennae and the trademark spectacle pattern on the beetle's 'face'. There were a few nibbles in the greenery. What was also telling was the lack of publication of a certain article in the _Prophet_ today. _It was always nice to have evidence that confirmed one's hypothesis._

When Evander heard the sound of Felix dicing away with the borrowed steel knife, he removed a Ziploc baggie from his pocket containing fresh leaves that he had acquired. The beetle watched him inquisitively as Evander tapped thrice on the glass. He _evanescoed_ the detritus in the flask before inserting the new leaves. The beetle, of course, tried to flee, but Evander bound it again with his wandless abilities before she escaped the mouth of the flask, gravity forcing her back down. He reprimanded in a half-sweet, semi- toxic kind of way; it bore some semblance on how Filch addressed his cat when on the hunt for wayward students. "No, my dear, you aren't going anywhere just yet."

He replaced the stopper, before resetting up the magical safeguards.

"Did I just hear you talk to that beetle?" Felix turned around while looking rather astonished.

"Nope," Evander said quickly. He also looked at the clock. "Oh, and it's seven, and I need to go supervise some detentions on behalf of Severus. See ya." He was out of the door before Felix could launch another question at him.

When Evander sat down at the desk in Severus' classroom, he saw the door to the classroom swing open, admitting two sullen looking Gryffindors – younger-him and Ron. He had no idea why exactly the pair had detention today, but knowing Severus, it could've been anything. Both boys were giving each other the cold shoulder. Evander sighed at the hostility.

"Where's Snape?" Ron asked rather moodily. "We have –"

"Yes, I know you two have detention. There's a barrel of frogs on the front bench, and you will dissect them for me." Evander interrupted. "You will pickle the organs according to the way you lot were taught in third year."

Ron looked he wanted to raise some sort of protest, but Harry tugged Ron's robes and led him away to the barrel. Ron settled for muttering, "Bloody bastard, can't even spare the time to supervise his own detentions."

Evander then proceeded to watch the most awkward detention he had ever supervised. Well, then again, it was the only detention that he had ever watched over. Ron and Harry refused to talk to each other or cooperate with each other, even though the task Evander had given them was done faster if there were two people distributing the jobs of cutting and pickling. It was also evident that both of them did not remember the protocol of how to do such a thing. Evander also noticed Ron shooting glares at his person periodically, when his former best friend thought Evander wasn't looking.

"R-Weasley, you are holding the knife all wrong. You are going to cut a finger off –"

"Potter, use the bronze knife. That's how you bisect a heart – a gentle push here. Easy does it..."

"Do not put that eyeball in that solution! It might just explode!"

Evander was incredibly relieved when the two boys finished their barrel off within three hours, with all appendages intact and all frog parts in the appropriate solutions. Ron disappeared as fast as he could when Evander told them that they could go, while Harry looked a little hesitant. He mumbled something.

"What did you say?" Evander asked for a repeat.

"Thanks." Harry said more audibly.

"For what?" Evander mused, "I just supervised –"

"For interrupting the duel last week, for returning my wand when I needed it and supervising detention today – honestly, if I see Snape again this weekend, I am going to –"

"Dissect and pickle his body parts?" Evander asked amusedly. "Yeah, he has that particularly compelling effect on me too sometimes."

Harry actually smiled, albeit it was thin. "If only I could. But somehow, I just see more detentions over the horizon..."

"He's a very slippery man, that Severus." Evander mused. "Not everyone's against you, Harry. There are some very strange things going on this year, but when fame and gold are concerned, there's always a lot of envy and jealousy running rampart."

"Ron..." Harry sighed. "I am sorry about his behaviour towards you too. When he's busy ignoring me, he's been having rows with Hermione about spending Saturdays with blokes outside of Gryffindor, namely Krum and you."

"Don't worry about me." Evander said reassuringly. He knew what Hermione and Ron had been rowing about for the past month. It was a crossfire that he was not willing to wade into. "And hang in there, Harry. Ron will grow up – it just takes him a little longer than most."

Just before Harry turned to leave, he asked, "Do you think I put my name in the Goblet?"

Evander stated, trying to keep the sadness out of his tone, "No, I believe you."

* * *

Draco walked contentedly from his last class of the day towards the dungeons. He was finding the days to be more tolerable than he had expected. At first, the judgemental looks of his peers that had bought into Pansy's gossip had wounded him, but gradually, he found it easier to ignore them. Pansy had tried to talk to him on Monday, no doubt to coerce him into begging for forgiveness – he knew how she operated – but he had snubbed her instead. It had been hard to walk away, but he knew it was the best course of action.

"Rue," he muttered at the stone door that concealed his godfather's lab. The door swung open, and Draco discarded his Hogwarts robes onto the wooden coat stand in the corner. He pulled off a grey lab coat – he had charmed the colour – and donned it. He spent most of his time in the lab after classes ended – a place that Uncle Severus had never let him step foot in – Evander had managed to negotiate some agreement with Uncle Severus so that the Ravenclaw would be responsible for any of Draco's mishaps or screw-ups. Draco was secretly grateful; he had always wanted to brew in Uncle Severus' lab. His godfather had always thought that Draco had been too immature and too irresponsible for such an honour.

It turned out to be a lot of work though. Draco hadn't realized that when he had agreed to the 'job' that Evander had offered him that the Ravenclaws and his godfather had begun selling Potions for a profit. Not only was he responsible for the simple Potions, but he was also expected to learn. And it wasn't just Potions either; on the first day, Felix had dropped a pair of heavy textbooks in front of him. One had been titled _Chemistry_ while the other one had been titled _Biology_. His jaw dropped when he realized that there were no moving pictures in the books, and he had exclaimed, _"But these are Muggle textbooks!"_

Felix had merely rolled his eyes, _"And, you are going to learn from them. It will make you more helpful to our venture and improve your skills as a brewer."_

And there he was, Draco Malfoy – the scion of the pureblooded Malfoys – sitting on the stools, meekly reading books written by Muggles. Fortunately, Chemistry was filled with calculations that Draco was familiar with from Potions, but Biology was filled with concepts that he had never learned about. And Felix had threatened to give him pop-quizzes if he didn't keep up with his readings, with not-too-pleasant consequences if he didn't pass them. Oh, and he was also supposed to turn in an essay based on what he had learned every week too – _damn it all!_

He walked over to his side of the bench. Today, there was an unusual cloth bag on the space. Curiously, he opened it to find it filled with galleons, sickles and knuts. He looked at the money with some confusion, until Evander explained, "It's your share of the profits, Draco – we aren't making you work for free. Several of our clients paid up today."

And Draco realized then and there that this was how ordinary people made a living. It surprisingly felt good. He spent the next minutes stacking his money and counting it. _This was his money that he had earned_. He looked up to see both Felix and Evander looking at him with great amusement. The two Ravenclaws immediately went back to their tasks; Evander was brewing around seven Potions at the same time, while Felix was brewing a batch of _Wolfsbane_ and busy attending to a whiteboard with what Muggles knew as ' _erasable markers'_.

He pulled out his lab book, a hardcover book with a plain dark-blue colouration with his name printed neatly in permanent marker on a white square, and flipped to the most recent page. Evander had charmed the book so that it would re-update itself with the Potions that Draco needed to brew as new orders came in. Anything he wrote in regards to those Potions with a specifically charmed quill, including indication of their completion, would automatically update the master logbook that had all the orders written within it.

Pulling out a scrap piece of parchment, he proceeded to derive himself a Runic algorithm for the simultaneous brewing of three Potions. His algorithm for two Potions had succeeded yesterday, so he was feeling a little ambitious.

It was a good thing that he had the foresight to take Runes as an elective, or he would have to learn all that from scratch too.

After getting his algorithm fixed and approved by Evander, Draco started brewing. It wasn't long until he had an hour to work on his own Hogwarts homework as the potions lay simmering all around him.

"Hogsmeade is this Friday, isn't it?" Draco heard Felix ask Evander.

"Yeah," Evander replied back. "We could hand out more Owl Order forms and stuff. How's the _Viagra_ derivation coming along?"

"Promising," Felix said rather brightly, "Severus is sending letters to see if anyone is willing to help us usher the stuff through clinical trials once I get it made and purified." Draco watched as Felix showed Evander a page from his lab book with molecular structures, straight reaction and curly arrows and copious notes written around the pictures.

"That's good, even though I don't understand it. Maybe I ought to go learn some Chem with Draco." Evander mused. He changed the topic in conversation. "What do you think about this pincushion?"

"Was that – that black beetle you had in the jar?" Felix asked in wonderment.

"It makes a nice pincushion don't you see? It was inspired by whatever we've been doing in _Transfiguration_..." Draco leaned over to get a better view of Evander's item of interest. There was that strange flask containing the leaves and moisture that the Ravenclaw had kept the beetle captive on that day when they had taken the walk together.

He watched in strange fascination as Evander brought a pin towards the grey pincushion with black embroidery and it seemed to curl up in fright.

"I think it's rather cute." Evander continued.

"Interesting," Felix mused, "But I still don't understand..."

"Why I find that insect so interesting?" Evander finished, "Maybe you can figure it out. You are the one with all the academic smarts, after all."

"Maybe I will," Felix said determinedly.

"Good," Evander replied back, "I look forward to hearing your hypotheses."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me if I don't update in within the next month for either of my stories for reasons listed in the previous chapter even though procrastination will probably bring me back.. I will definitely have more time to write when September comes around though!


	12. Severance

It was in the midst of the daily ruckus of dinner that Severus Snape found himself staring unhungrily at his plate of mashed potatoes, peas and tender beef. To be fair, the noise levels of the Great Hall were well within their usual volume, but to a man who treasured quiet and solitude, it was a daily nuisance. _Sodding Albus..._ If it wasn't for Albus' damned rule that all professors had to eat with the students during the weekdays and celebratory meals, he would be enjoying a bottle of Ogden's finest and a healthy, yet scrumptious meal made by one of the few creatures who genuinely gave a fuck about his existence, Missy, accompanied by the strains of something light, maybe a Mozartian concerto, playing in the background. He permitted himself to stab the next piece of beef with more aggression than necessary with his fork. He chewed without enthusiasm and swallowed it as if it was a particularly putrid potion.

_He had to eat, or be at the mercy of Poppy's ire at his annual checkup._

"A knut for your thoughts, Severus?"

Severus looked irritated at Minerva. He scowled as only he could.

Minerva ignored his displeasure and continued, "You did stab that piece of meat with more force than necessary."

"Maybe, I don't want to be surrounded by dunderheads day in and day out..." It came out as a whisper, but the frustration in his delivery was clear. He then said a little more audibly, "There isn't any form of appropriate beverage, let alone firewhiskey, at this spread!"

Minerva actually had the audacity to laugh, which made his scowl deepen.

"I've never seen you so..." Minerva stopped and drifted off into contemplation.

"So, what?" Severus mastered his agitations into his usual controlled calm.

"Restless..." Minerva finally allowed the word to escape her lips. "I mean, for one thing, you are actually sharing..."

Severus shot her a quelling look. Minerva sighed.

"Albus isn't here tonight," Severus changed the topic. He looked at the centre of the Head Table where Albus usually sat. Karkaroff was brooding by himself nearby, darting the occasional look at his arm, while Hagrid and Madame Maxime were chatting quietly to themselves at the far end of the table. Conversation abounded around Minerva and him, and no one was paying any particular attention to him, well besides Minerva and maybe...

"He told me he had some business at the Ministry..." Minerva supplemented, interrupting his current train of thought.

"I see..." Severus said dryly. He didn't particularly care.

"So how are your protégés coming along?" Minerva asked brightly, "I envy you – managing to snap up..."

"I've always had an eye for spotting talent from the mediocre." Severus stated, interrupting her mid-sentence, "Although, Evander's skills lie more in the Runic aspects of things." He decided against telling Minerva of his student's gifts with a wand. "We will be seeing major advances in the field of Potions with Felix in the future..."

"Evander likes Runes?" Minerva sounded surprised, "Bathsheda never mentioned Evander's abilities... She said that Hermione Granger was at the top this -" Severus could hear the pride in her voice.

_Looks like he's been downplaying his abilities..._ Severus thought. _Clever..._ "Well, he's very interested in the practical aspects of it." He said vaguely.

"He seemed more of the active sort." Minerva conceded.

Severus finished the last bite of dinner. He said unapologetically, "Well, that's the last of dinner. Now if you would excuse me..."

"It would be pointless to ask you to stick around for dessert, wouldn't it?" Minerva mused. She shook her head before Severus could say anything, "Well, we ought to have a nightcap sometime."

"Maybe this weekend?" Severus suggested.

Minerva nodded before Severus got up and turned to leave the Hall. There was something weird about dinner, but Minerva had disrupted his thinking when his instincts had been aroused. He was sure it had been something subtle. A wrong look, a fleeting interaction? He wasn't sure.

He was stopped at the entrance hall when he heard the familiar and irritatingly cheerful, "Severus, come have a walk with me!"

Severus turned to look at the Headmaster, dressed in dark blue robes and topped with his matching blue hat. Albus' eyes twinkled merrily at him, but at the same time, Severus was too experienced to let any of his guards down. He had looked up to the man for the most part of the decade, but his respect had been wavering since the Black fiasco back earlier in the year. And Evander – future Harry – seemed to harbor a dislike to the Headmaster... He didn't know why, but there must be some fire to the smoke.

_If only he knew..._

"I see that you have returned." Severus said dourly.

"Indeed I have." Albus contrasted with the correct amount of brightness.

The pair walked for awhile in silence. Albus didn't speak until they were up on the _Astronomy Tower_. The winds were calm as they walked up to the battlements of the tower.

"Have you observed anything odd, in particular, Severus?" Albus' voice changed from cheery to serious.

Severus pretended to ponder. "Not particularly, Albus... No, I –"

"This could apply to anyone – students, teachers or anything..." Albus added with an air of helpfulness. "Hopefully that curse on the DADA position is finally broken; I can't see what could possibly go wrong with Alastor..."

Severus suppressed a snort. There were so many things that could go wrong with old Mad-Eye. For starters, that man saw dark wizards everywhere, not to mention that the old ex-Auror was totally insane. Muggles would say that the man was a loose cannon; a few bricks short of a load. _And don't forget..._ the little inner voice in his head told him, _you know he isn't Moody at all..._ Albus was too brilliant a wizard not to notice all these shenanigans that had been occurring under his very nose ever since Harry Potter had came to _Hogwarts_.

_But if he was too brilliant, what did that mean?_

He almost shivered despite the warmer than usual weather. "No, nothing unusual."

"I've told Alastor to keep a close eye out on Harry this year." Albus continued. Severus almost cringed. "Of course, he'd do so without me asking... And of course, you know what your duties are, Severus... You still remember don't you?"

"Of course, Albus..." Severus felt his hands clench. His hands were fortunately hidden underneath the long sleeves of his robes. This situation was so fucking absurd.

"Don't forget about them." It was surprisingly sharp. Albus' tone returned back to normalcy. "I understand that you've embarked on other projects this year, which I am very happy about. But you must never forget..."

"Of course I've never forgotten." Severus was more annoyed with the man now. He looked around the tower, making sure that no one was around before drawing his wand. " _Expecto Patronum_!" The familiar doe leapt easily from the tip of his wand.

"I see." Albus said. There was actually a smidge of what could be described as sadness on the man's features, although Severus was finding it hard to buy for once.

The cracks were widening and the fracture lines were growing along the fragile ice. _He doesn't give a fuck about me, does he?_ Severus wondered. _No, he never cared... The day where he had almost been mauled by Lupin, that accursed werewolf, and Black had hardly paid any price. How readily Albus had believed Black's story in the past months and failed to pay an iota of attention to his counsel._ And then something else significant emerged into the forefront of his mind. Something that Evander had said on the day where things were revealed, somewhat: _Because, we feel that you've carried your burdens for way too long. Paid too big a price for one mistake... Manipulated by destiny one too many times in the form of two Masters..._ _Two Masters..._ Did Evander compare Albus to...?

It was almost too much for him, but he maintained his facade with only years of practiced control. The ice beneath his feet had shattered and he was sinking into the frigid depths of disillusionment.

"Do let me know if anything unusual crops up, Severus..." Albus finally said dismissively.

Giving Albus his usual curt nod, Severus all but bolted from the tower with his turmoil of thoughts. There were too many disturbing nuances that he had attempted to process tonight. Some, like the disturbance down at dinner tonight, he was sure he had missed completely. Albus Dumbledore, the pinnacle of the light... there was always a catch somewhere when something tended to sound a little too good to be true.

He almost laughed in bitterness.

_But that was his comedy of a life – jumping from one deeper hole to the next..._ He mused sarcastically as he headed towards his dungeons. "Rue," the door swung open at his utterance.

He wasn't alone. Draco was standing awkwardly, fiddling around with the knob of a biuret with one hand and swirling an Erlenmeyer with the other while Felix watched from behind at his own bench. _A little lesson in acids and bases..._ Severus thought.

"Where's Evander?" Severus asked, "I wish to speak with him."

"In your quarters, I think." Felix twirled an old quill idly between his fingers. There was a strange pincushion sitting on top of Felix's lab book on the bench."Wanted to get some reading done or something like that."

Severus nodded and headed back out. He entered his quarters, via the stone slab, to find Evander reclining on one of his comfortable leather chairs. The tome he was reading was entitled: _The Mind of the Animal_. He removed his teaching robes, threw them down on a nearby chair before sitting across from Evander. He cleared his throat, causing Evander to shut the book.

"I don't recall that book being part of any _Hogwarts_ curricula." Severus started conversationally.

Evander, decked out in a light grey shirt and well-worn jeans, turned to face him. "There's something rather interesting about cognition, don't you think? I wonder if anyone's attempted to use _Legilimency_ on the wild side of things..."

"And what purpose would that serve?"

"Mine." Evander said easily. "But, you needn't worry about that. I think something is bothering you."

"How did you know?"

"I can read people very well." Evander seemed to look intently at him. "Without _Legilimency_ ," Evander quickly added in a reassuring manner.

"I remember you said that I was being manipulated by two Masters." Severus said, "Did you mean one of them to be Albus?"

Evander seemed to sigh. It was a long while before he replied. "It's funny – that when I was growing up, I saw him as how everyone else saw him – someone who knew from right and wrong; someone who was the embodiment of goodness; heck, someone I looked up to. But then, I grew up. I asked innumerable questions to myself. Questions I probably should have pondered in my youth." Evander looked down at his tome before continuing. "Dumbledore had enough conjecture to destroy Lord Voldemort." Severus flinched but Evander continued, "How else did he set me up to destroy him? I was the perfect pawn; so delighted to find out that I wasn't a freak as a child." Evander stood up now, pacing back and forth within three metres. "But while he molded the hero; he broke the boy. And I wasn't the only victim. There were others. Sirius was one..."

"I beg your pardon?" Severus interrupted.

Evander stopped his pacing. His eyes fixated solemnly on Severus. _Why did those eyes always have such an effect on him?_ He was hopeless, he knew. _Even if it was over a decade since she was killed._ And Albus would never have him forget. The old coot knew his weaknesses and played his cards well. _'You remember the exact shade of Lily's eyes, don't you, Severus?_ _That precise shade of green..._ _Her son has them too, you know...'_ Albus might as well have kicked him in the gut at that exact moment.

"Sirius never had a trial. He was sent directly to _Azkaban_. Dumbledore never bothered to lift a finger to figure out what exactly went wrong that day..." Evander said in a monotone. "Imprisoned for something he never dreamed of committing. I don't think Sirius was ever the same afterwards. It never helped that he was trapped in the old Black ancestral home... the years afterwards... He bloody well hated that place." Evander stopped, looking contemplative. He was facing away from Severus. "You know... I never really understood the motivations behind what Albus did in the latter part of his lifetime. It's definitely not because he wanted a better world. But as Voldemort and Grindelwald were interested in ruling the world with an iron fist, Albus seemed to enjoy his power over people. It's not a conventional evil by any means, but what Albus did better than the other two was that he died the 'greatest wizard that ever lived'."

Evander drifted off into silence.

"I suppose," Severus broke the silence, "This is the point where the firewhiskey comes out."

Evander suddenly laughed harshly. Severus found it incredibly unnerving. Before he could get in another word edgewise, Evander had picked up his book and strode out of Severus' quarters. _Looks like I have another candidate for the list of the insane._ Severus mused darkly to himself. But he couldn't blame Evander. _'While he molded the hero; he broke the boy...'_ He found it rather poignant. Severus walked over to the small kitchen and pulled out a nice cold bottle of _Ogden's_ finest. He decanted a glass of it and drained it in two gulps. He refilled the glass and made a beeline for his own personal chamber.

He picked up the framed, unmoving picture of Lily on his nightstand – the only one he possessed.

_We were all fools._

* * *

Evander walked along the deserted corridors of _Hogwarts_ , the early morning sun shining through the stained glass. He had woken up at the crack of dawn and an uneasy sense of restlessness had settled within him. The idle life was not for him. Out of habit, he made his way towards the library. His eyes widened when he saw Hermione, looking incredibly disheveled with shadows under her eyes, walking towards him at such an early hour. Evander suspected that she might have cried recently.

"What happened to you?" Evander asked concernedly.

"I fought with Ron again." Hermione said duly.

Evander sighed, "This has been happening for the past month, hasn't it?"

"More so or less," Hermione looked glum. "I think this is the last one. I was hoping... that he would grow up. But..."

"Hermione!"

It was Neville, jogging towards them. He was the only one wearing school robes. Slightly out of breath, he said, "I saw you leave the common room, so I thought I ought to come along and see if you needed someone to talk to. Ron came back to the dorm with all sorts of cuts and scratches, so I figured that yesterday didn't end well."

Hermione smiled slightly, "Thanks, Neville. You are a good friend."

"Were you fighting about the same things again?" Evander probed.

Hermione nodded. "I think he crossed a line last night." Her voice had a tinge of anger to it despite her exhaustion. "He accused me of seeing Malfoy. I got very angry and the next thing I knew, I had my wand in my hand... and a flock of bright yellow birds emerged and..."

Neville exclaimed, "You sent birds after Ron?" He then said, "I guess if someone was accusing me of seeing a Malfoy, I would do pretty drastic things myself."

Evander and Neville burst into laughter. Hermione smiled wider.

"But what I was really upset about after I had calmed down," Hermione confided, "Is after all Harry, Ron and I had been through, that it would end this way. All because he couldn't get his head out of his arse."

There was an awkward silence that ensued, before Neville decided to change the topic, "So where are you lot planning to do at Hogsmeade today?"

"Harry and I have errands to run." Hermione answered, "And then I think that we would spend the day together. It's been awhile since we've done that."

By errands, Evander knew that there was a rendezvous with a certain dark dog.

"I think, Felix, Viktor, Hannah and I are going together." Evander mused. "You are free to join us, Neville, if you want."

Neville brightened, "I would like that."

Hermione frowned, "There's something I don't understand... I mean – why would Ron think I was seeing Malfoy - the only time I see him is during class. And Lavender and a lot of the other girls have been giving me the cold shoulder – I don't usually spend time with them. I think I am missing –"

"Have you heard the latest gossip from the local mill?" Evander asked dryly. He knew that Hermione was not one to keep up with the rumors that floated around. "Apparently Parkinson claims that you've been going around the male population –"

"And people believe that?" Hermione was astonished.

Neville observed, "I mean, look at what happened to Harry back in second year, Hermione – with all that Heir of Slytherin business. Did you remember that some of the Hufflepuffs were running the other way whenever they saw Harry as if he would sic the basilisk on them?"

"Never underestimate the power of gossip, Hermione." Evander said solemnly.

"I wish I had a basilisk to sic on Parkinson." Hermione said wistfully.

"Believe it or not, I think Malfoy would like to do the same." Evander said amusedly, "The rumor was also kind of involves you and him so –"

"Seriously?" Hermione was rolling her eyes in great exasperation now. "They are all idiots! If they've seen our past history..."

Neville suddenly burst into a spasm of laughter. Both of them turned to look at him in confusion.

"You two have a past history." Neville stopped to explain. "The rumor mill thrives on that kind of stuff!"

* * *

Severus was surprised to see Draco in the laboratory in the afternoon. It was a Hogsmeade day, after all, and he had expected that his godson had gone off with everyone else in his year to go gallivanting. _Well, that ruins my plans for a peaceful afternoon of brewing..._ The boy was hunched over Evander's bench bringing a straight pin close to a pincushion and away again. Oddly enough, he never stuck the pin through. Curious at Draco's rather strange pastime, he walked over and loomed over Draco's shoulder.

It took a second or two for Draco to realize that he wasn't alone anymore and he dropped the pin in fright.

"Uncle Severus, I didn't see you there!" Draco looked extremely startled.

Severus merely raised an eyebrow. He then asked, "May I inquire what are you doing with a badly transfigured pincushion? I was not aware that you were having problems with –"

"It's not my work!" Draco interjected looking somewhat offended, "And it's not badly transfigured, because I saw Felix transfigure the pincushion from a beetle and back multiple times. And he's tied with Granger in Transfiguration!"

"Then why does it do that?" Severus picked up the pin Draco dropped and attempted to stab the object. It curled up into a pathetic sphere. When he removed the pin, the pincushion remained in what rather reminded Severus of the fetal position.

"I've never seen it do that before..." Draco admitted, after half a minute later, "I think we've traumatized it." He then added, "I don't think the beetle used for the transfiguration was your everyday beetle."

Severus picked up the pincushion in his hand. Using his finger, he stroked the soft fabric. He was surprised to see it slightly relax. _And if Felix did the transfiguration, then it was pretty likely that this wasn't a botched attempt._ He turned to look at Draco sharply, "What makes you say that?"

"It's a bit of a story." Draco seemed extremely discomforted. He fidgeted with the sleeves of his lab coat. "But it began last week, when Potter and I were about to duel and Evander disarmed us. I went to go chase Evander down on the grounds to get my wand back and he plucked that beetle out of my cloak. He trapped in a glass Erlenmeyer. He tapped his wand on the glass thrice. I think he was activating some sort of preset set of charms or something. And a few days ago, I suppose, he transfigured the beetle into a pincushion because he claimed it was 'low maintenance' or something like that."

"Interesting..." Severus merely stated.

"And he pretty much dared Felix to figure out the secret." Draco added.

"Can I see the Erlenmeyer that Evander used to keep the beetle?" Severus asked.

Draco compliantly pulled the Erlenmeyer out of the drawer labelled with Evander's name on opaque yellow tape. Severus gave it a precursory look. It seemed rather ordinary. There was a pile of shrivelled leaves, a pebble and a few measly twigs lying haphazardly at the bottom of the flask. It was plugged with a sponge stopper. Severus retrieved his wand from his robes and gave it a wave. The bottle seemed to glow with all sorts of colours, indicating the wide assortment of enchantments that was affixed to the simple glassware. _Evander was definitely thorough..._ Severus couldn't remember what most of the colours stood for.

"I think," Severus walked over to his own bench and placed the flask in one of his own drawers, "A deeper examination is warranted. But first, since you aren't doing anything..."

"I was going to brew!" Draco objected.

"We might as well go to Hogsmeade." Severus continued on. He picked up a small box containing shrunken down flasks full of potions and placed it in a robe pocket. "You can carry one of those flasks."

Draco sighed when he looked at the two full 2L flasks containing some ruby-red liquid.

"Couldn't I levitate it, Uncle?"

"No," Severus said curtly, "They are untainted by magic. You should know that there are Potions that do not react well when put into proximity of magic." He picked up the other flask easily in his left arm. "Don't dawdle, Draco. And don't drop the flask."

"Yes, Uncle..." Draco sighed before setting the flask down and changing into his robes. He picked up the flask again and followed his godfather out the lab door.

* * *

"So, the First Task is next week." Felix mused as they all were sitting down at the dusty table at the _Hog's Head_. "Any speculations?"

"Other then it's as dangerous as shit." Evander took a gulp of Butterbeer – the closest thing to alcoholic beverage he was having these days. "What do you think, Viktor?"

Viktor helped himself to a handful of chips sitting at the middle of the table. He said forlornly. "All I know is that vhatever it is, I am the one facing it, vhile you all can all get comfortable and vatch me get maimed by a troll or something like that."

"My father says that the First task in the Triwizard has traditionally been a fight between wizard and magical scary beast." Hannah informed everyone, "Like the last one that happened – it had an ancient Greek feel to it – the first task was to chop off a Hydra head. You know those beasts with multiple heads that can regenerate –"

"A Hydra head?" Viktor shook his head. "I hope it von't be as terrible as that!"

"What was the second and third, Hannah?" Neville asked curiously.

"They never got to the second. One of the champions was killed..." Hannah sighed, "Viktor, I hope you'd be okay."

"Damn." Felix put down his tankard of Butterbeer.

"I hope so too." Viktor sighed, before taking a draught of firewhiskey. "It's kind of barbaric, if you stop to think about it. Like how the Ancient Romans used to have those fights in the Colosseum – pitting Muggles against lions and so on."

"It's all for entertainment, really." Felix mused.

"Father was surprised that they unbanned the Triwizard, actually." Hannah added, "After how gruesomely the last tournament ended-"

"Can ve talk about something else?" Viktor interrupted, "By this rate, I vould buy all the firewhiskey this place has to offer and drink it all."

"Right, sorry, Viktor." Hannah said apologetically.

"Evander, vould you mind putting a Disillusionment Charm on me vhen ve leave? I don't vant to be bothered –"

Evander nodded. "Of course."

* * *

The moon was high in the sky when Evander and Felix walked into the Forbidden Forest enveloped by Evander's Disillusionment skills. Evander was feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline flow through his bloodstream. It was an exhilaration that he hadn't felt since his old life. They were hiking along a well-travelled path surrounded by leafless trees. It wasn't long before they came to a familiar clearing – well familiar to Evander. Felix's jaw dropped.

"Merlin, those are dragons!" He whispered, despite the safety of the _Muffiato_. "And you said we were going ingredient-hunting."

Evander said patiently, "You would never agree to come if I told you what I am planning to do."

Felix looked suspiciously at Evander. "What? What in fucking Merlin are you going to do?"

Evander ignored him and proceeded to step into the clearing. Three chained and collared dragons lay in awkward positions on the ground, each knocked out by the _Stupefy_ of ten men. There were three this time around, for obvious reasons, but Evander only had eyes for the largest of them all – his old nemesis. He walked towards her horned head lying slumped on the ground. He then turned his attention to the two Keepers sitting near a tent that had seen better days, all patched up. They sat in front of the remains of a once-roaring bonfire. Neither of them noticed with Evander stole upon them, wand drawn.

" _Imperio,"_ He whispered.

He proceeded to set up a series of wards around the tent, including a befuddling ward that would keep the Keepers in the tent, should they wake. Wards were a routine thing back in the _Aurory_ days; the need to preserve crime scenes, to keep Muggles from dangerous places or magical accidents – their uses was many. He found it ridiculous that there were no other security measures besides the Keepers. But then again, no one, except for a certain few was privy to this particular secret and the fact that they were now deep in the _Forbidden Forest_ might explain the lax security. He probed one of the Keeper's minds to double-check his assessment.

He had the dragon Keepers walk towards the _Hungarian Horntail_ and remove the chains encircling its legs. He left the collar which was also magically staked to the ground.

He wasn't that insane.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Felix asked bewilderedly. "Don't you see all those burns and scratches in the ground? These are DRAGONS!"

"And yet, society saw fit that I faced one at the age of fourteen." Evander said darkly. "I think I will take my chances."

"I can't talk you out of this, can't I?" Felix sighed in resignation.

"No." Evander replied back. "You might want to step back for the next step." He removed the Disillusionment charm from his person.

Felix practically bolted, along with the other two _Imperiused_ Keepers to the tent. Evander had his two Keepers – none of them were people that he knew – return back to their positions near the bonfire site. Finally, Evander pointed his wand at the dragon.

" _Rennervate_ ," Evander said quietly.

He had to repeat it thrice, before he saw a noticeable movement in the dragon. He proceeded to walk back several metres, as the massive beast slowly woke up. Her eyes twitched, her head lifted from the ground and it was at least five minutes before she got up on her hind legs, stretching out her massive wingspan. Her tail swished gently behind her. She let out a massive roar that would have echoed throughout the Forest had it not been for a powerful silencing charm placed around the area that she was chained to.

When she finally noticed Evander, her bright eyes were looking down at him curiously. But she had no benign intentions towards him. Without warning, a massive jet of fire shot from her maw. _Protego Maxima_ , Evander thought. The flames diverged at an invisible barrier that he had erected. He wasn't sure if it counted as a form of wandless magic or wand magic, as he still had his fingers around his wand, but he had not raised it. _He always enjoyed pushing his limits._ He could feel the scorching heat around him – sweat was trickling down his own cloak – but the barrier kept the majority of it, out.

When the dragon finally stopped, Evander stood calmly in front of her. She seemed to be looking at him in some form of disbelief before Evander attacked. He launched a mental assault, just like he would when he was doing _Legilimency_ , but with all the power he could put into it. Evander could hear a strange crackle, similar to a sound that electricity makes. He swore that he could almost perceive the magic that he had just hurled at the dragon. For him, magic had always been a rather abstract construct – you waved your wand, and something happened. You visualized or thought of something, and something happened. But he had never given much thought to the 'force' behind magic. Of course, he had heard of mages with the so-called sixth sense – the ability to see, no feel, magic, but experiencing it for himself was a different story all together.

The mind of a dragon seemed so alien – so wild. Evander found himself enmeshed in her mind. It took him several seconds to distinguish between himself and her. He sensed her desire to be free of her chains and her aggravation that she could not burn the person in front of her into cinders. The memories of her life as a free dragon flooded through Evander's conscious, flying free over an enormous forest which surrounded mountains. She had a mate too, a smaller, gentler looking dark dragon who flew behind her. Evander knew that dragons could be polygamous, or monogamous. Some females preferred to mate with the strongest males, or some females picked out a mate for life. She was evidently, one of the latter. And yes, she was vicious in her free-life and often found herself defending her mate from larger male dragons, which Evander found very curious. All the mental images were in sensory detail so great that it made humans look blind.

Evander reflected that people could go mad, using _Legilimency_ on animals that had greater sensory powers than humans. But of course, he quickly remembered his original goal – _possession_ – just like Voldemort had tried to do to him in the Department of Mysteries. He found himself looking through her eyes at himself. His body seemed so tiny, so fragile from her perspective – rather like the elephant and the ant. He could feel her wings, legs and tail too. Experimentally, he willed her barbed tail to move – and he felt it move. Emboldened by the success, he moved on to the wings. He gave them a few experimental flaps. The mechanics of flying seemed to be beyond him, but he was surprised when a simple presentation of his own mental wish was enough to for her to fulfill his desire. She launched upwards, and although restricted by the collar, Evander had her fly in several circles before he got her to land. As much as he hated to admit it, flying from the vantage point of a dragon was so much more enthralling than on his beloved _Firebolt_.

It was almost like the _Imperius_ in some ways, but so much more intimate.

For his last test, he coaxed her to lie down, in a similar position that he had found her in, and got her to close her eyes. He flooded her brain with thoughts of tiredness. _Fuck, how do I get out of her body?_ Evander mused. He decided to mentally project himself out, aiming for his own body – _Legilimency again, but on himself._

He felt a painful, wrenching sensation – as if he was ripping himself apart. His conscious was lodged in his own body again, but he had an awful sinking feeling that he had done something 'wrong'. He felt incredibly disoriented. The Hungarian Horntail had fallen fast asleep in front of him.

"Holy Merlin, what did you do?" Felix was looking down at the dragon, completely flabbergasted, "I mean, you didn't even move and you got the dragon to sleep? Are you alright, Evander? You don't look very well."

Evander didn't answer until seconds later. "I don't know if I am well or not. I don't know exactly what I did, but I think I may have left a piece of myself behind."

"And again, I ask. What did you do?" Felix asked.

"I tried to possess a dragon." Evander explained. "It was pretty easy, but –"

"You know what? Let's get out of here first. We can figure out stuff later, okay?" Felix interrupted.

"Right," Evander recast the Disillusionment charm on himself. He got the other two Keepers to replace the chains on the dragon's legs. Just in case, he got all four of them to _Stupefy_ the dragon. He almost fell over when the spells hit the dragon, but Felix managed to haul him upright.

"Fuck, I think I really did leave some bit of myself in there." Evander said. "I swore I felt a part of that stunning curse."

After when they had righted everything else and were back on their way to _Hogwarts_ , Felix had a thought. "Did you just make yourself a Horcrux?"

"You know, I have no fucking idea at all." Evander said. "If this is a new way to live forever, can you imagine the amount of idiots who will try to chase after dragons to gain immortality?"

"I know of one." Felix said with great amusement.

"Shut up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't promise when the next update is. Still really busy... Haven't forgotten about the other story either – I've got bits and pieces lying around.


	13. Reveal

When Evander got up the next morning at his habitual early hour, all was quiet except for the crackling of the green fire in the laboratory's fireplace. He crawled out of the tangled mess of patchwork quilt and thick sheets that were lying on the stone cold floor. He was halfway through his morning exercise regimen when he remembered the events that had transpired last evening. He stopped midway through a one-armed-push-up to stand up. He examined his body carefully, trying to see if there were any residual after effects. He shrugged; he felt pretty damned good on a Saturday morning.

Looking towards the benches, he saw the slumped figure of Felix sitting on a stool. His head was lying on one of his many lab books. Closer inspection revealed the presence of a puddle of liquid that Evander strongly suspected was drool bleeding into the ink on the page that Felix had fallen asleep upon. Evander shook his head in parts dismay and amusement – the soft life of Hogwarts was eroding away many of Felix's Auror skills. Felix had been supposed to stay up and monitor him for any negative reactions from the encounter of magicks unknown. Deciding to be magnanimous, Evander let the sleeping Felix lie, considering that he felt fine and left the laboratory.

He knocked on the stone slab that served as the entry point to Severus' personal chambers. He knew that Severus was an early-riser like he was. He waited a good minute before the stone moved, revealing the Potions Master in a simple shirt and trousers. He had a mug of steaming tea in hand.

"What brings you so early to my domicile?" Severus asked.

"Breakfast?" Evander replied with a smidgeon of hope.

"Odd..." Severus muttered more to himself. But the taller man stepped aside to let Evander in before allowing the slab to slide quietly back into place.

Evander soon made himself at home at the dining table, which was already teeming with the breakfast goodies of Missy, the busy house-elf girl who rushed to and fro between the kitchen and the living room. Picking up one of the buttery biscuits from a plate, Evander took an appreciative bite, just as Severus pulled out the chair across from him and sat down.

They ate in companionable silence for the most part. Evander downed a glass of milk in addition to the other hearty English breakfast necessities – sausages, bacons, fried bread, eggs and tomatoes. As his appetite began to be somewhat sated, Evander asked bluntly.

"Did you ever kill anyone - in your Death Eater days?"

It was a simple question, really. Severus froze when he realized what exactly Evander had asked, fork midway from his plate and mouth. Evander was well aware that Severus had killed Albus in his old life, but he had wondered if Severus had done the deed during his younger years. He remembered how easily Severus had fired the _Killing Curse_ back then on the Astronomy Tower. Prearranged or not, Evander was pretty sure that Severus had done it before. He certainly wasn't judging the man though; he himself had killed both directly and indirectly, although never with the _Avada Kedavra_.

"Yes or no?" Evander prompted.

There was a moment of indecisiveness on Severus' face before he spoke. The clatter of his fork on his plate pierced the silence. A piece of sausage was still speared upon it. "I have. It was so long ago. Most of it was via... more... indirect means."

"Potions?" Evander speculated.

"Poisons, toxins, potions that did unthinkable things to people before the final mercy of release by death – I was a creative bastard... that I was." Severus said slowly, encouraged by Evander's prompt. There was a ghost of a smile on his lips that lasted barely a second. He continued, "and directly too – _Sectumsempra_ , the _Killing Curse... Sectumsempra_ was my curse – you know." His face turned passive. There was a cool look to his eyes. "I won't lie to you, Evander; I enjoyed my first kill. It was very nice to be validated by the Dark Lord - a little pet on the back. And that power I felt just as I uttered the incantation... It grew distasteful quite quickly – it was fortunate that I had other skills to offer the Dark Lord. Potions Masters were in short supply but not killers in the ranks. But anyhow, I ought to be rotting in Azkaban for my crimes. I wasn't an innocent man." Severus then laughed darkly. "Was this more information than what you expected?"

"No, actually," Evander replied. _Fucking hell, he could relate to Severus on so many levels_. "I can understand. You had an abusive father who was a Muggle. You grew up hating the bastard. You met my mother – dare I say it – you fell in love with her at some point. The problem: she was a Muggle. You went to Hogwarts. You met my bully of a father. You were ostracised by the majority of your peers. You wanted to be in prestigious Slytherin – you wanted to be great; to make something of yourself – to show your good-for-nothing father that his son could make an impact on the world. You met the fraction of Slytherins who went on to join the Dark Lord – their ideology or the politics suited you – the exact reason I cannot fully discern – but I can offer a multitude of guesses. You won yourself a place amongst them. You were accepted in a way that you never were –"

There was a loud sound of an explosion. Severus was standing up from his chair looking half incensed and half bewildered at his empty wand hand while Evander had Severus' polished ebony wand gripped in his dominant hand.

"I saw that coming." Evander said calmly.

"I apologize for my lack of self-control. The past is not something I enjoy contemplating about." Severus hung his head in what Evander perceived as shame. His voice was sincere – a strange tone that Evander had never heard issued from the Potions Master's lips. The Potions Master's hair swung forward like a curtain as he sat back down. He then asked sharply. "How did you do that? And where's your wand?"

"Trade secret," Evander winked. He looked down at Severus' wand, fingering the smooth and hard ebony wood. The wood was as unyielding as its owner. "I have powerful enemies, you see."

"You brought up way too much at once. I haven't thought about my roots for a long time." Severus admitted, "You know too much, Evander... It makes me incredibly uncomfortable that I don't know exactly what you know about me – especially since I know almost nothing in regards to the older-you. I am a guarded man – I don't part with secrets easily..."

"I figured the past is always a good place to start." Evander said philosophically. "If you ever want to turn your life around, you have to accept yourself – and all the bad and the good that comes with that. Because your past can easily catch up with you." Evander tossed Severus' wand across the table. Severus caught it, nimbly.

"It won't erase the things that I've done." Severus said in a small voice after putting away his wand in his sleeve. "The irredeemable things..."

"No, it doesn't." Evander agreed. "You can't change the past..." He then added brightly, "But you can change the future."

"That's the whole point of this soiree, isn't it? To change the future." Severus' voice was normal again, "Something happened to you that made you return back here, didn't it?"

Evander shook his head. "I wasn't lying when I told you I have no idea how Felix and I went back in time. Granted, we were both nearing the ends of our ropes – me more so than Felix. I like to think of it as Fate reaching out and fishing out two drowning kittens from the ocean as much as I hate intervention from unknown forces."

"That can't be true, can't it?" Severus asked bemusedly, "You, the vanquisher of the Dark Lord – the Chosen One, the Golden Boy –"

Evander laughed harshly. He then admitted, "I lived a fairly good life post-Voldemort. I rose quickly through the ranks of the Aurory. I became interested in Runes – mainly because I wanted to learn more about magic. I quickly realized that Runes was one of the safer ways that one could manipulate raw magic."

"That is still an incredibly dangerous field that you've gotten yourself involved in." Severus said in a surprisingly concerned tone, "Things can go horribly wrong – the consequences are endless... some even unimaginable -"

"I don't take it lightly, mind you." Evander said. He then said seriously. "That's probably how Miriam Lovegood died –" Upon seeing the look of confusion on Severus' face, Evander elaborated, "She's done some pretty good work in the spell – ..."

"Lovegood?" Severus interjected, "As in –"

"The third year Ravenclaw girl, yes," Evander affirmed. "I think it was a few years back when Luna was visiting me – it was before she married, actually. There was an unfinished hexagram in red ink that I had framed somewhere in the house and she remarked that it looked incredibly familiar from her childhood days. I was surprised – it was my one and only attempt at one of the holy grails of Rune Derivation – to manipulate the fabric of time."

"A hexagram – really?" Severus looked incredulous. "I might not be as skilled as you are in Runes, but I know for sure that you need more than a hexagram to –"

"That's why I was so surprised! Very few people would have attempted such a thing." Evander added, "That she was able to recognize it. She was even able to vaguely mention that it had something to do with time – I forgot the exact wording she used. It was such a peculiar occurrence. The doorbell rang after that, and we couldn't talk more about it. The topic just never came up on subsequent get-togethers."

"So you are sure that particular hexagram of yours is not responsible for –"

"I am pretty sure it wasn't. I never finished it for one thing. And I promised Hermione that I wouldn't meddle with the other dimensions after she found out what I was doing." Evander refuted, "She was livid about the whole messing with time thing even though she was the one playing with Time-Turners back in our third year... We compromised by agreeing that she was a hypocrite and that I shouldn't continue those kinds of derivations."

"That's never really stopped you –"

"From doing stupid things?" Evander looked at Severus with amusement. He then said honestly, "I guess not."

"That wasn't what I was going to s-"

"You were thinking it."

Severus sighed resignedly while Evander fell into a thoughtful silence. The clock on the wall behind Evander ticked the seconds. He wandlessly summoned a piece of parchment and a quill from somewhere in Severus' quarters. With practiced precision, Evander drew out the basic hexagram. He erased several guidelines while bolding others. Drawing the solution to a Runic derivation was something that Evander never did for practical use unless he knew for sure that he had the answer committed to memory; it was ridiculously dangerous otherwise.

"Hoping to jog her memory?" Severus finally asked several minutes later.

"Worth a shot if I get an opportunity. It's more for personal interest, really." Evander shrugged. "It's probably going to be a dead end – but you never know."

It was almost ten when Evander finished drawing his hexagram. Severus had summoned some of his journals from the coffee table in the living room and had spent the past hour leafing through them. Evander folded the parchment neatly into a square before tucking it in one of his robe pockets. He stood up, deciding that a nice shower in the Ravenclaw dormitories was necessary.

"See you later, Severus."

Severus merely nodded at Evander before Evander left the quarters. As he headed upstairs, he realized that he had inadvertently avoided mentioning the reasons why he had described himself as a drowning kitten. He shrugged – he didn't particularly relish the idea of bringing up his past again.

_Your past can catch up with you..._

His own words to Severus ominously rang in his mind.

_It was always easy to give advice, but following it yourself was always another matter._

* * *

A shower and a change of clothes later, Evander found himself going for round two of breakfast at the Great Hall. He had spied Neville sitting by himself at the far corner of the Gryffindor table, walked over and pulled out the chair across from the Gryffindor. The dirty-blond boy looked somewhat glum over his eggs and toast.

"What's eating you, Nev?"Evander asked lightly as he snagged a piece of apple from the large fruit bowl nearby.

Neville shrugged, "It's just life in general. Nothing unusual – I burden you with enough of my problems."

Evander replied, "You look kind of upset. Seriously, it's no big deal if you tell me."

Neville smiled slightly, "Thanks Evander..." He sighed, "I just got a letter, that's all – from my grandmother." He looked downcast. "I know she means well, but every time she writes – she likes to write about my parents, the family honour – things that she thinks I ought to have accomplished by now and –"

"It makes you feel like crap?"

"That's one way to put it." Neville nodded. "I mean, when she found out that Harry got chosen as the Champion, she wrote me a letter about how I should have –"

Evander shook his head. "Seriously Neville, it's not worth brooding over, really." He then said, "If anyone makes you feel like shit, Neville – don't listen to them – even if it's your grandmother. You've managed to accomplish a lot this year –"

Neville added dryly, "Like not pissing in fear in Snape's class, every class – look at this!" The boy then rummaged excitedly through his bag and pulled out a roll of parchment. It was a Potions unit test. There was an E at the head of the parchment accompanied by the word ' _adequate_ ' in Severus' characteristic spiky handwriting. Otherwise, the parchment was devoid of Severus' merciless red pen with the exception of a few curt suggestions regarding the essay question at the bottom. "I wanted to jump up and down in excitement when I got it back yesterday in class."

"I am sure Severus would appreciate that." Evander smirked humorously.

"I mean an ' _adequate'_ from Professor Snape is equivalent to a smiley face or something like that!" Neville grinned.

Evander laughed. "I will be sure to inform him so next time."

"Please don't mention my name." Neville suddenly looked nervous, "I would like –"

"Of course I won't." Evander said reassuringly. "I was just fooling around." He added, "I know what will cheer you up – let's go flying after I finish my Runes set!"

"I am horrible fl–" Neville interjected.

"Nah, I will teach how to fly like a professional," Evander offered quickly. Flying had been one of those things he had always wanted to teach Neville; the older Neville had never gotten the hang of flying. "It takes practice – that's all. Anyone can do it!"

Neville gave Evander a skeptical look before they were both interrupted by Hermione, holding a stack of parchment in hand, sitting down beside Neville.

"Do I even want to ask what those are?" Evander looked warily at the pile of papers on the table surface.

"Notes about the Triwizard," Hermione sat down and helped herself to a banana from the fruit bowl. She unpeeled it as she continued speaking, "I am trying to help Harry –"

"His heart isn't really in it, is it?" Evander added, "It's unfortunate – really – because you need focus to survive, let alone win."

"Did you find anything?" Neville asked Hermione.

"Not really –" Hermione sighed. "Especially not anything that we could accomplish in the three days that we've got – and it's really difficult to help someone who doesn't want to participate."

Neville and Hermione almost jumped when the clunk-step of fake-Mad-Eye approached them. Neville managed to drop his fork. Evander merely looked disinterested when the DADA professor interrupted rather ironically, "Convenient, isn't it? Potter has to compete regardless of his own wishes –"

Evander kept his voice cool, but even he couldn't fully suppress the dark humor of his tone, "Really, it's almost as if someone put his name in the Goblet in the vain hope that the boy-who-lived will die in the attempt."

He could have sworn that he saw a shadow cross over not-Mad-Eye's face, but it was gone just as instantly as he had noticed it. Hermione and Neville had cringed towards the end of Evander's sentence; they looked as if the temperature in the space that they were occupying had dropped below freezing. Evander kept looking at not-Mad-Eye until the professor was forced to take a step back.

"I don't know where you get your ideas, laddie –"

_Oh yeah I do – from you!_ Evander laughed inwardly.

"It's almost like a conspiracy – really." Evander interrupted, "I mean, the Triwizard Tournament got reinstated this year – somehow Potter's name got into that Goblet – conveniently when he is ill-prepared to deal with the challenges as a Fourth Year –"

"It's like they ran out of low-level crazy things for Harry to deal with," Neville broke from his frozen state, "There was that foul smelling Quirrell bloke, then there was a basilisk and then an escapee from Azkaban –"

"And then bam! Notoriously dangerous tournament unlocked!" Evander finished.

Not-Mad-Eye loomed closer to the three. His prosthetic eye spun crazily. "Well, lads and lassie – if you feel that strongly about there being someone out there to get Potter, then I would like to enlist your cooperation into helping Potter make the best out of this tournament. I promised Albus that I'd keep an eye out on and give Potter a tip or two to even the scales."

"Well, it's not like I've got nothing better to do with my time." Evander said rather flippantly. _You just don't want Harry killed at the wrong moment, don't you, Barty? And to make everyone think that you were on Harry's side all along._ "What say you two?"

"I am doing that already," Hermione said just as Neville nodded.

"Good." Not-Mad-Eye nodded with some sort of satisfaction. "Remember, think of Potter's strengths." He headed towards the Head Table which was empty.

"Well, that was an odd conversation." Neville broke the awkward silence that had fallen.

"I think odd is an understatement, really." Evander helped himself to a plate of ribs that had materialized on the table a few seconds ago.

"So, library?" Hermione suggested while standing up.

"Let's," Neville slung his bag over his shoulders.

Shrugging, Evander picked up his plate of recently ordered ribs and his bag. He followed the other two out of the Great Hall.

* * *

Felix awoke to a horrible sulfurous smell. His back ached as did the rest of his body from sleeping in his slouched position. It took him a moment to think through why he was sleeping in such an uncomfortable position in the dungeons in lieu of his nice comfy four-poster bed upstairs, but when he did, he jumped. He frantically got off his stool and looked bewilderedly at the mess of sheets and quilt that Evander had left behind. He then began to roam the rest of the large laboratory until he was interrupted.

"Looking for something?" Severus' voice caused him to turn around sharply. The Potions Master was brewing the noxious smelling Potions that had aroused him from his slumber, "Or should I say, someone?"

"Evander – have you seen him? He wasn't feeling well last night –" Felix asked and explained.

"He looked fine when I saw him this morning. He wolfed down enough breakfast for two." Severus mused. "He never made mention of being ill during –"

"Ate breakfast for two?" Felix wondered. _That was odd..._ Evander ate like a bird on most days.

"He's fine." Severus cut into Felix's thoughts.

"Alright then," Felix took Severus' judgement. It was also likely that Evander had expended a great amount of energy when attempting to possess the dragon last night; hence, why Evander might be eating a lot to make up for the loss. He then asked, "Do you need anything brewed today?"

"Check the book!" Severus gestured with his free hand. "There are always things to brew." He then added, "There's food left over from breakfast in my quarters."

Panic averted, Felix leisurely took his time to wash up in the laboratory washroom. He ate a hearty breakfast with Missy fussing over his every need in Severus' living room before heading back. After looking over the master logbook detailing the Potions brewed and needed to be brewed, Felix picked a few. He pulled out his lab book from his drawer and started to devise himself an algorithm for brewing the Potions in the least amount of time possible.

The next hour was filled with scribbling, the gurgle of Potions, the methodical noise of chopping knives on the wooden board and a variety of smells, flowery to putrid. _Figures_ , Felix mused as he turned his attention to his whiteboard _, Evander's out having fun while I am toiling for money._ The white space was decorated with his proposed synthesis of Viagra and the runic-Arithmancy equations he used to derive his main project – the Nerve-Regeneration-Elixir.

_Hell, he would have to come up with a catchier name than that._

He erased a few numerals with his hand and added another variable to his equations – something about Growth-Associated-Protein 43 expression that he had read recently somewhere. When he was done with that, he sat on his stool – temporarily bored – as he had to wait for steps to finish.

Impulsively, he got off his stool and opened Evander's drawer. He reached for the familiar pincushion which seemed to curl up more tightly just as his hand picked it up.

"Hey, where's the glass bottle?" Felix asked out loud. "I mean, flask."

Severus looked up from whatever step he was doing. "Which flask?"

"The one in Evander's drawer – the one used to hold –" Felix stopped talking. He didn't know how much Severus actually did know about the beetle-thingy or if Evander wanted his little secret to be shared with the Potions Master.

"A beetle?" Severus finished Felix's sentence with a great deal of amusement.

Felix looked surprised. "How much do you know?"

"I should be asking you as well. Draco brought the existence of the beetle to my attention yesterday." Severus explained. "The bottle was covered in a lot of interesting enchantments. My hands are tied at the moment but if you would go fetch it from my personal drawer..."

Felix obligingly did so. He held the flask in his hand. The leaves had reached a later decomposition stage and were starting to smell. Whatever moisture that had been in there had evaporated.

"Now do a simple _charm-revealing spell_." Severus instructed.

Felix gave his wrist a swish to summon his wand. He gave a practiced elaborate swish over the object. He had a lot of practice doing such revealing spells on suspected cursed, unknown and _Dark_ artifacts during his days as an Auror trainee. It hadn't been too interesting; the most dangerous and interesting objects were usually saved for a legitimate Curse-Breaker.

The flask shone a rainbow of colours.

" _Anti-shattering charm_ , _two-way silencing charm_ , _air-permeation charm..._ " Felix listed. He continued listing while periodically repeating the _revealing spell_.

"It sounds more bloody secure than Azkaban," Severus quipped just as Felix froze upon seeing a certain shade from his spell.

Felix repeated the spell several times just in case he was seeing things before saying, "I will be right back." He hurriedly left the lab and entered into Severus' quarters again. He recalled seeing a book on Spell-breaking in the Potions Master's quarters. After a quick scan, Felix pulled the tome out of the shelf. It was a little dusty so Felix blew on it gently. He brought it over to the coffee table. He hunted through the table of contents. He flipped the pages gently until he found the decoder for the general _revealing spell_.

_So I wasn't mistaken..._

Felix ran out of Severus' quarters and back into the lab.

"So what did you see?" Severus asked with veiled curiosity that Felix saw right through.

"There's an _Anti-Animagi charm_ on this flask, Severus." Felix tried to say in a controlled manner. "So does that mean that this pincushion-beetle creature an –"

"Animagus?" Severus completed. He then remarked dryly, "Well, that makes things infinitely interesting and complicated."

"So, is there anyone missing in action these days?" Felix wondered. "Person's probably an illegal. I don't recall a beetle being on the registry. So what do we do with it?"

"Nothing." Severus said curtly. "Although I am curious to see who Evander would go through all this trouble for – a most interesting revenge plot."

"I don't know." Felix admitted. "I mean, I don't actually know Evander all that well even though I am sure everyone around Hogwarts thinks that we've known each other since forever. I knew him in a professional capacity before this whole involuntary adventure –"

Felix stopped when he heard the sound of the lab door opening. It was only Draco, dressed impeccably in simple robes of dark green.

"Draco, would you mind fetching us today's _Daily Prophet_ \- actually make that all the _Daily Prophets_ from the past week." Severus turned his attention to his godson.

Draco blinked a few times at Felix and his godfather before letting out a reluctant sigh. Lethargically, the boy turned back towards the door and headed out as if leaving slower would induce Severus to take back his demand.

"Always the little dramatic prince of Slytherin, isn't he?" Felix mused when the door closed.

"Always," Severus acknowledged nonchalantly, "Ever since he was in diapers."

Felix almost choked.

* * *

"Oh, you are going to take Neville flying?" Hannah asked Evander after the three had left the library later that afternoon.

"Yeah," Neville answered with a mixture of nervousness and reluctance.

"I want to come too!" Hannah exclaimed excitedly. "Come on Neville, you look as if we are taking you to the Healer or something –"

"Then you better go get your broom, Hannah," Evander suggested.

"What's Neville going to fly with?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Felix's. We are heading off to the Ravenclaw Tower to fetch the broom." Evander answered.

"Oh, the _Nimbus 2001_... That's an excellent broom – it will look after you, Neville – no worries! Say, Evander, could I go for a ride on your broom?" Hannah asked hopefully, "I've always wanted to try the _Firebolt_!"

Evander nodded. Hannah beamed, rather much like a person whose dreams had suddenly came true. "I can't wait to tell my father that I got to ride a _Firebolt_! I will meet you guys at the Pitch!" She dashed off towards the nearest stairwell.

Evander and Neville walked up the long spiral staircase which led up towards the Ravenclaw dormitories. The riser and rails of the stairs were made up of bronze and on the newels that stood at the landing, there were statues of an owl and raven standing sentry-like. The birds stretched out their wings as both boys passed. Surrounded by the banners of Ravenclaw, the formidable door with the eagle doorknocker came into view.

"No portrait?" Neville mused, "How do we get in?"

Evander merely reached for the knocker and knocked once.

"I am tall when young and I am short when old – what am I?" The musical voice of the guardian of Ravenclaw inquired.

"Bloody hell, there's no password either?" Neville looked at Evander bewilderedly.

"Hang on there, Neville. I've got this." Evander proceeded to think for a moment. "It's a candle, isn't it?"

"Well done." The door swung open.

"That was an easy one." Evander said as he gestured that Neville ought to go in first. "There was a day where I ended up sleeping in the dungeon because I couldn't answer the question."

"That sucks," Neville followed Evander up another flight of stairs heading towards the fourth year male dormitory.

They walked out of the dormitory with Evander carrying his _Firebolt_ and Neville gingerly carrying Felix's _Nimbus 2001_. Neville had also borrowed Felix's cloak, which was slightly too long for him. When they got to the Pitch, Hannah was already there, soaring in graceful circles on her _Cleansweep_. Neville placed Felix's broom on the ground.

"You still remember how to mount a broom, do you?" Evander asked.

"I think so. It's been awhile since First year." Neville looked at the _Nimbus_. "Up!"

The broom shot up slightly higher than knee level. Neville looked at Evander who nodded. Slowly, the fearful boy placed his leg over the broom.

"Come on, Nev – it's fun!" Hannah called from above, "Give a kick!"

"Give a good kick." Evander instructed – repeating Hannah's instruction.

Neville took a deep breath before bending his knees. Seconds later, he finally gave the ground a kick and he took off while clinging on to the handle for dear life. "Arghhh! Why did I agree to do this?"

Evander mounted his _Firebolt_ and followed suit. Hannah had already beaten him there and had managed to get Neville to gain some control over his flight.

"See, you can control the direction of flight by shifting your weight –" Hannah was explaining patiently to Neville as Evander passed her.

Seeing that Neville was in safe hands, Evander proceeded to leisurely fly around the Pitch. With the excitement of the Triwizard first task and all those Potions that he had to brew, the Quidditch games had been temporarily suspended until probably the next month. It was cold today, but the conditions were great – the sun was out and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. He wondered what Felix was doing at the moment.

"Evander! Look – I can fly!" Neville exclaimed as he demonstrated some simple turning. The Gryffindor then paled when he looked down. "Merlin, I am up so high!"

"Don't look down, then!" Evander shouted back.

Everything progressed uneventfully with Neville feeling slightly more comfortable in the air than when he first started. Hannah had started doing some more daring aerial acrobatics much to Neville's awe and discomfort. It was then when Evander first noticed something strange – there was a strange odour that his nose was picking up – it was a mixture of damp, manure and some strong musky scent that he couldn't name.

"Do you guys smell something weird?" Evander asked loudly.

"No, I don't smell anything," Hannah stopped, "It smells of fresh air – like it always does."

"What do you smell?" Neville asked.

"Something strong..." Evander wrinkled his nose. "Never mind, it's gone now."

"Can we swap brooms now?" Hannah asked, "You promised!"

"Yeah, sure –" Evander agreed.

They both headed towards the ground.

"Thanks, Evander!" Hannah looked reverently at Evander's _Firebolt_. She took the broom carefully from Evander, mounted it and kicked off. "Merlin, it's so smooth! It's as if it can read my mind!"

Evander grabbed Hannah's _Cleansweep_ and took off after her. Evander knew that Hannah's broom was probably the fourth best broom on the market during this time period, but years of flying the best had really spoiled him. He had to exaggerate his movements to get the broom to do what he wanted. Five minutes into the broom exchange, the musky odour was back. He then felt a sense of dizziness, but it was gone just as he had registered it. When he looked towards his hands that were gripping the handle of Hannah's broom, they had a strange scaly look to them. He blinked several times and his skin had returned back to their normal pale and smooth state. _Merlin, what the hell was wrong with him?_ Evander mused. He decided to head back down before something even more serious happened.

Midway through the descent the dizziness was back, accompanied with a very strong compulsion to vomit. The world seemed to be spinning in Evander's mind – and his hands which were in front of him had returned to their scaly dark form. He had the odd sense that he was much larger than he actually was.

"Evander!" He could hear Hannah's shout from above, "Neville! There's something very wrong with Evander – we've –"

He had no sense of what was up or down, but he did know that the broom was going down. He shut his eyes in order to cut himself off from the visual disorientation and he instinctively tried to jerk his legs up. The broom seemed to respond by changing its trajectory in the direction that Evander hoped was the upwards direction.

"Do you know any good cushioning charms?" Neville asked urgently, "I wish Hermione was here!"

"We've got to – _Arresto Momentum_!" Hannah stopped mid-sentence presumably to retrieve her wand from her cloak pocket.

"Quick thinking, Hannah!" Neville praised moments later, "Merlin, that was bloody close!"

Evander felt Hannah's broom come to a halt. He slowly opened his eyes and he was horrified at what he saw. His fingers were long and thin and seemed to be connected to each other by delicate membrane – rather like the wings of a bat – or dare he say it – a dragon. His eyesight was funny too; there were strange colours that he had no words to describe. _No... no – he couldn't be going crazy – couldn't he?_ _And why the hell was there a tree in front of him –_ He shook his head violently and blinked.

"Evander, Evander!" He could hear Hannah's concerned voice nearby, "What's going on?"

Evander opened his eyes. Everything seemed to have returned to normalcy again. And he realized what Hannah and Neville had been so concerned about – he had managed to fly upwards but he had been heading towards the bleachers.

"Do we need to take him to Madame Pomfrey?" Neville asked Hannah. "At any rate, I don't think he should be flying –"

"Take me to Felix – please." Evander spoke with great effort before turning around and he vomited on to the bleachers nearby, "Blech, he should be in Severus' office."

" _Evanesco,_ " Neville pointed to Evander's mess just as Hannah incanted, " _Wingardium Leviosa._ "

She levitated Evander and her broom back down to the ground, and Neville landed nearby. Evander mused that Neville had something else to worry about now instead of his awkwardness about flying that he didn't need any instructions on how to land a broom.

"Do you need help walking?" Neville asked as he picked up his broom and Hannah's _Cleansweep_.

"No," Evander replied, "But thanks for the offer. And Hannah, thanks for stopping me – you did good. You can borrow my broom whenever you'd like."

"Thanks, Evander –" Hannah grinned excitedly, "I think you will get sick of me very soon. You know that I am a flying fiend!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your August fix!
> 
> Notes: I am not a chemist (I am working my way through a cell biology degree): if I make mistakes, please tell me. In other news, I finished my summer semester (yay!) – still pretty busy though.
> 
> I do know who Evander's taking to the Yule Ball at this stage. ;P (that might be 3 chapters away)
> 
> I am going to start dating my work too so it's easier to keep track of when I wrote what. I would love to get the next chapter out before September but I don't want to make any false promises.


	14. Prelude (to the First Task)

"So, what's your hypothesis?" Evander soon found himself sitting at Severus' dining table. He had left Neville and Hannah at the Potions' classroom door, with promises that he would go to Madame Pomfrey if his symptoms got worse. Felix and Severus were occupying the other two chairs. Draco hadn't been too pleased when Severus had forbidden him from joining this particular conversation.

"Well," Felix started. He pulled out the pincushion and the flask from his robe pockets. "We have evidence that the pincushion is an Animagus." He pulled out his wand and tapped at the pincushion. It immediately transfigured into a familiar dark beetle with curly antenna. Felix also added a quick immobilizing spell to prevent it from flying away.

"The observation that first tipped us off was the discovery of an _Animagi-Suppression_ Charm." Severus continued. "Because, why else would it be there?"

"As for the identity of our buggy little friend – the _Daily Prophet_ was used to figure out if there were people missing that might fit the bill." Felix added. He sipped at the cup of green tea that Missy had provided everyone. "I mean, I had my suspicions after reading my first _Daily Prophet_. The word that struck me then was that the content was rather – bland..."

"Bland?" Severus asked Felix.

"You know – dull. It was lacking a little – controversy." Felix elaborated.

"Wait, so – Severus doesn't know who the beetle is?" Evander interrupted.

"No," Felix answered as Severus shook his head. "I was going to tell him – but then you came in."

"Okay, fine – continue." Evander took a sip of tea.

"So, I remember from the first time around that there was a lot of slander involving Harry's hypothetical relationship with Hermione and that Hermione was accused of sleeping around – which rather coincidentally happened this time around – but through a different vehicle of gossip. It was funny how long it took for me to remember that reporter's name." Felix explained. "And then, it made perfect sense. She made your life and Hermione's life very miserable back in fourth year."

"She also tarnished the reputation of many others." Evander said gravely. "It's really funny how the mind works. First impressions mean a great deal to our brains. Stereotypes are useful for making generalizations – making the brain much more efficient; nevertheless they have their consequences too. Even having a article title such as ' _Fudge not found sleeping with Umbridge'_ –"

There were snickers from Felix while Severus looked confused.

"If you asked someone what was in that _Daily Prophet,_ I don't know – a few days later – they will probably tell you that Fudge had an affair if they had been merely skimming through the paper. Memory tends to bleed into one another." Evander explained. "I consider misinformation with malicious intent to be one of the greater evils in our world. Because – once it's done – you can't undo it completely –"

"It's like the _Avada Kedavra_ for your credibility." Felix mused, "And I hope to Merlin, Severus, that you will never have to meet up with Umbridge – she was the fifth year DADA professor."

"So, who is 'she'?" Severus inquired.

"Rita Skeeter –" Evander picked up the beetle in his palm. "My, my – what shall we do with you? _Finite Incantatem_." He removed Felix's spell. "Refreshing isn't it," Evander said conversationally to the fluttering beetle. "Now that everyone knows who you are, I think a decision ought to be made today about your fate, Ms. Skeeter." He then turned to his rapt audience. "Well, shall I transfigure her back to her lovely self?"

Felix shrugged as Severus said, "As they say, it's your revenge, Mr. Murphy. We will sit back and bear witness."

"Very well," Evander put the wand to the beetle. " _Homenum Revelio_!"

Evander dropped the beetle as she morphed back into human form. It was a very dishevelled Rita Skeeter that looked back. Her blonde hair was limp and her clothing was in tatters during the week's imprisonment. Another quick of his wand, and Skeeter's wand was in his hand.

"You get to decide your own fate today, Ms. Skeeter." Evander said sternly.

"Who do you think you are?" Skeeter asked weakly. "Forcible confinement –"

"I am sure that there is a lot of people who would be interested in your unique... methodologies... Ms. Skeeter. You do yourself no favours by directing empty threats at me, my dear. Do sit down." Evander pointed rather forcefully to an empty chair at the table. "You may drink and eat at this table."

Meekly, Skeeter sat down at the table. There was a mixture of apprehension and relief on her face. She poured herself a glass of water from the jug and ravenously helped herself to the various tea-time goods that Missy had made. All three merely watched the captive as she ate.

"You have three alternatives – my dear. Two options involve freedom. The first involves a contract. The second involves never being human again." Evander began to talk when she began to tire of eating.

"And the third?"

"I kill you." Evander said lightly.

"You wouldn't." Skeeter retorted, but Evander could see a tremor, "They wouldn't let you." She looked helplessly at the other two occupants of the table.

"Really?" Evander said with a smile. He then chuckled darkly. "Mr. Wedgewood certainly didn't make you deaf earlier. You heard Severus earlier. You know that he was an ex-Death Eater. It's my show, Rita. My game, my rules..."

Skeeter dropped the spoon she was holding. "What are your terms?"

"I need a quill." Evander plunged one of his hands into his pocket just as Skeeter pulled out a familiar tattered green quill. "You can use this."

"I think not." The hated quill burst into hot white flames with another lazy flick of Evander's wand. Skeeter let out a little scream of fright and dropped the quill before the flames could reach her flesh. "I had a professor once." Evander continued as if he was telling a bunch of children a story. "You know how she punished me for telling lies, dear? She made me write lines – I must not tell lies – with a blood quill."

"But-but – blood quills are illegal!" Skeeter almost cried out loud. "You wouldn't –"

"Illegal – ha! So what, you pick and choose from the Ministry's laws? If you break one, we might as well break them all. We might as well all rot together in Azkaban." Evander laughed. "So, we might as well work together to prevent that particular fate, Rita? Ah, here's the quill."

Skeeter paled beyond what Evander thought was possible when she saw the black and red quill. Even Severus' eyes widened when he saw it. He shrugged; these quills were rare and expensive – anyhow.

"You recognize it?" Evander asked rather rhetorically. "It's not illegal – you know. It's classified as a 'grey' object under Section D for Dark Artifacts, Decree Number two. It was invented initially for deals to be made with Squibs and Muggles – to create a so-called ' _Unbreakable Vow'_ contract. Now, shall I draw it up, Rita? I personally find these a lot better than the wand-vows, really."

She nodded dully. The next half an hour or so was punctuated by the scratches of quill on parchment and pauses as Evander carefully wrote the words that would succinctly yet provide no loopholes in regards to Skeeter's future responsibilities. He then stood up and pushed the parchment over. "Read it. I will be back. Option one is nullified if you do anything funny during my leave."

Evander stretched before walking out of Severus' quarters. He could tell that Felix and Severus were dying to find out what exactly he had written. He took a quick trip to loo before opening a cupboard attached at the edge of his bench. He pulled out a blood-quill – he had bought it in _Knockturn Alley_ some time ago – they were cheap as far as dark artifacts went. He also grabbed his sharp silver knife. He went back and sat down in his chair rather leisurely.

"You will put me out of business!" Skeeter lamented quietly, "People pay to read the juicy bits."

"I didn't say that all juicy bits were out. Just those that were 'exaggerations' or dare I say it – lies." Evander said patiently. "You will just have to work harder at finding a story. Let me tell you this, Rita, there are plenty of stories out there that are sensational without the need to fabricate things."

"You want me to investigate why the Triwizard was reinstated?" Skeeter asked, "But that easy – who doesn't like a –"

"I am afraid, the motives run much deeper." Evander said. "I am sure, with your unique – er – assets, you may find the source. And I am not interested in why – necessarily – I am interested in who is involved."

"You leave me no choice but to sign." Skeeter pulled out another quill out of somewhere, but Evander incinerated that too.

"You will sign with a blood quill." Evander handed his quill to Skeeter. "You know that these contracts are signed with blood. And you will oblige me by writing – I must not write lies at the bottom of your signature. May it serve as a constant reminder."

Skeeter took the quill in her shaking hands. She cried out when she signed the parchment with a small flourish and wrote down the words that had once marred Evander's flesh in his past life. _Pansy._ Evander could see the cuts forming nicely on her arm. She passed the quill back to Evander who instead took his Potions' knife and slashed his left wrist. He used an ordinary quill to poke at his wound before signing the contract. The parchment shimmered before bursting into flames.

"Well, Rita. It was nice doing business with you. _Obliviate!_ "

"That certainly was entertaining." Severus remarked to Felix after Evander had re-transfigured Skeeter in her beetle form and walked out, presumably to find a suitable place to leave her, "I wonder how he modified her memory?"

"Carefully, I'd say." Felix mused. "The bloody bastard has had a lot of practice."

* * *

"You what?" Felix asked in dumbfounded amazement an hour later. "And you owe Hannah a what?"

"Almost died and a life debt are the fill-in-the-blank words you are looking for." Evander said rather carelessly. "It's no big deal –"

"You are an idiot!" Felix exclaimed. "You could have died!"

"Didn't I just say that?" Evander sighed, "I thought you were a falcon, not a bloody parrot!"

"Honestly, who goes flying the day after experimental magic goes amok? You are supposed to keep it to quiet activities! Not those where you soar hundreds of feet in the air!"

"Thanks for caring," Evander retorted, "Can we please focus on the doing and not the 'what Evander shouldn't have done part'? It's not like I can bloody undo the stupid!"

"And you want to what?" Felix looked down at the plan, "Kidnap a fucking dragon? Have you forgotten that dragons are dragons? Earth to Evander – they are as big as this room!"

"Well, I need time to work out exactly what screwed up last night. And it's not helpful if the dragons are going to be gone after Tuesday. It's my mind, Felix – desperate situations call for desperate actions." Evander then adopted a very businesslike tone, "So, I need to create this Runic enchantment. I will do the derivation and you can make the construct to put the Runes on. I was thinking a collar, maybe." Evander suggested, "Unless you have a better idea."

"No, it looks fine, if you can make the Runes work." Felix finally gave his verdict after many minutes of serious contemplation. "I think I can make the collar out of copper or tin and then coat it with silver. Should be strong enough for whatever derivation you come up with. How are you going to activate it?"

"I was thinking of making an Incomplete derivation. You know, the Runes themselves aren't enough to activate the magic – you need to use a specific spell with the correct magical 'signature' to complete the activation process. And, that's where Harry comes in."

"We probably have till Monday evening to finish this." Felix said practically. "I guess I will go melt down those old tin cauldrons we found in the Room of Requirement. There may be enough silver metal too – if there isn't enough, I will go back to the Room to do more scavenging. I then might take a trip to the _Forbidden Forest_ to measure the neck of the dragon."

"I will be in Severus' quarters if you need me. I will have to work out the details on how this is going to work in a logical manner." Evander lifted the _Muffiato_ with the discrete flick of his index finger.

The two Ravenclaws departed from the Potions' classroom.

* * *

"Minerva," Severus greeted curtly when Evander's old Head of House showed up at Severus' quarters several hours after dinner. "Please, do come in."

"Severus," Minerva nodded. Her hair was held up in a loose bun and she was wearing a set of flattering green robes. "How has your day been?"

"Rather uneventful." Severus stated. "Brewed Potions – some for Poppy, some to sell. I also marked some essays. They are as abysmal as always."

The stone slab closed after Minerva. Her eyes widened when she saw Evander lying on Severus' carpet with a quill in hand.

"I did not know that you were having a sleepover." Minerva remarked, with a hint of a teasing tone. Evander knew that the quip was also directed at his choice of attire. He had changed into an old faded t-shirt and green pyjama bottoms featuring various types of cartoony animals.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall – I was not aware that Severus was having visitors at such an hour." Evander waved his quill. "I can go, if you'd like –"

"No, no, Mr. Murphy – I think that you may stay put. It's not like Severus and I will be partaking in any activities..."

Severus looked extremely uncomfortable. Evander snickered. It was funny seeing Severus in such normal situations.

"And, changing the topic," Severus broke the awkward tension. "Would you like a drink – or a brew?"

"The usual, please – Severus." Minerva sat down in the armchair.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Would that be the Gillywater or the Scotch?"

"It's a Saturday evening." Minerva mused, "One of each – Scotch on the rocks."

"Evander?" Severus asked.

Evander thought for a moment before saying, "I'd like a hot chocolate."

Severus lifted an inquisitive eyebrow but didn't question Evander's decision. Evander decided that he might as well see how long he could go without touching an alcoholic beverage. The running count was currently almost three months. He wondered if Severus knew that he had been a former alcoholic. He certainly left enough hints. A minute or two later, Severus brought over a tray and set it on the coffee table.

"You can get up now, Evander." Severus said as he sat down across from Minerva.

Evander abandoned his work on the floor, picked up his mug of hot chocolate and made his way to the last remaining armchair.

"Do you often have these nightcaps?" Evander asked. He blew on the hot liquid.

"Once or twice a week," Minerva answered. "Usually, Filius – or Professor Flitwick joins us. He's busy today, unfortunately. I know it may be hard to believe, but us Professors let our hair down once in a while."

"I believe I was forced to give Longbottom an E on a unit test this week." Severus announced. "Honestly, I am rather surprised at that boy. Normally, he would have at least three melted cauldrons by this time of year. He's currently at a grand total of zero."

Minerva beamed. "I've always thought Neville had potential. It's just that it's covered in layers and layers of doubt and insecurities. I've told Augusta many, many, many times that she ought to give her boy a chance."

"Apparently, Neville got mail from his grandmother saying that he should've tried out for the Triwizard –" Evander added.

"Really, Mr. Murphy –"

"Call me Evander – Mr. Murphy sounds so –"

"Then, you must call me Minerva in such informal settings."

"Alright, Minerva."

"Honestly, I think I should go send a Howler to Augusta tomorrow. What is she thinking?" Minerva turned her attention to the Scotch.

"Minerva, I think that somehow we are amongst the sane in this Castle." Severus said after he gulped down a mouthful of _Ogden's Finest_. "In regards to the entire Triwizard business – what are they thinking?"

"I know that we've trusted Albus' judgement for several decades." Minerva stated, "But I think with the First Task coming up – I am starting to have doubts, Severus. For starters, Albus knows that someone put Harry's name in the Goblet. He's insistent in having Harry go through with all of this nonsense just to see how the plot unfolds. I know he has the 'higher aim' in mind, but I think that his reasoning has cheated Harry out of many things in life."

"The sacrificial lamb..." Evander muttered more to himself. Both professors turned to look sharply at him. Evander simply picked up his mug and sipped at it gingerly. When it became clear that Evander wasn't going to elaborate further, Severus said, "Well, Albus certainly enjoys making my job difficult."

"Dragons!" Minerva shook her head. She had a look of horror upon her face. "At this moment in the _Forbidden Forest_ there lie three of them." She turned to look at Evander, "I –"

"I can keep a secret, Minerva." Evander reassured.

"I guess, the question is," Severus began again, "What are _you_ going to do about it, Minerva? You are Potter's Head of House. If I start coddling the little bugger, everyone's going to know something's up. I am certainly not the only Professor who has noticed that Potter spends most of his days moping around or with the bushy third of the trio. His Potions' grade actually slipped an entire letter grade if you want to go with statistics, Minerva."

"Why, Severus," Minerva smiled. It had a Cheshire cat quality. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you didn't care."

"Well... Mad-Eye did ask me to help out with Harry." Evander jumped in.

"That's very interesting," Severus remarked. "Did he say anything of note?"

"Play to Potter's strengths..." Evander replied.

"What strengths exactly does Harry have against a dragon?" Minerva asked.

"Well, Minerva, Harry can certainly fly a broom." Evander answered, "You know how it goes in the tales of yore – and I know from several of my friends that the Triwizard has a predilection for old legends, myths and folklore. You know those stories about dragons hoarding treasure or pretty girls and the brave knights of legend will go questing for the spoils of adventure."

"I think Evander, I see what you mean. There's hope, yet." Minerva picked up her tumbler and drained the last of the Scotch. "Severus, I am going to cut short tonight's nightcap. I've got a certain urge to write out a special lesson plan. Shall we reschedule for Tuesday – maybe at the Three Broomsticks – that gives Missy a break and you know my cooking is abominable at best – my treat."

"Of course, Minerva," Severus nodded, "I will send you a message."

"And, you are welcome to join us at any point, Evander." Minerva gave a small warm smile to Evander.

It was one that she usually reserved for those of her House.

It was bittersweet; nevertheless, Evander mused when Severus got up from his chair to escort Minerva to the door.

_It was a little reminder of who he had been._

* * *

"I did not remember that there was a souvenir stand for the _Triwizard_." Evander mused for Felix's ears alone the next morning.

The pair had just entered the Great Hall. For a Sunday morning, the normally quiet Hall was filled with students from all Houses, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. The middle tables had been cleared away and any students who wished to indulge in breakfast were forced to sit at either the Gryffindor or Slytherin tables. Evander mused that it was a subtle way to encourage inter-house or school relations. The stand in question was situated at the centre of the room. It was manned by an old, but rather jolly looking witch with expressive eyebrows and a rather crooked nose. The stand was draped in large flags, each displaying the crests of all three participating schools.

"Want to investigate the goods?" Felix asked.

Evander shrugged and the pair walked towards the action.

"Felix, Evander!" Hannah's voice came from behind them. "You feeling better there, Evander?"

"Yeah, loads." Evander grinned. "Thanks a lot for yesterday."

"Anytime!" Hannah said gleefully. "Wow, these stuffed animals are lovely."

Evander looked at the array of animals on display. There were unicorns, hippogriffs, chimeras, phoenixes, dire wolves and even a stuffed troll with cute little beady eyes. But what really caught his attention were the stuffed dragons hanging from the top of the stand. There was the Swedish Short-Snout, the Chinese Fireball, The Common Welsh Green and even the Hungarian Horntail rendered in loving detail. The dragons were rather large – slightly smaller than Evander's torso.

He turned to look for Felix, but his fellow Ravenclaw was no longer with him. He then caught sight of Felix inquiring the price of a furry dire wolf that Hannah was holding. Hannah was clearly trying to talk Felix out of buying stuff for her.

"Evander!" It was Neville's voice. "What do you think of these models?"

Evander had to laugh when he saw the action figures that were based on the Champions. He picked up a Harry action figure. "Pretty life-like – if I do say so myself." He watched with amusement as the Harry-figure walked across his palm.

"Well, I did overhear Daphne asking Tracey if the proportions were correct under the trousers." Neville whispered.

"Oh dear," Evander looked at the crotch-area. "Nah, these clothes are too tight for any sort of –"

"Hi Hermione," Neville greeted as he had spied Hermione making a beeline for them, "Where's Harry?"

"Professor McGonagall showed up as we were going to leave and she invited Harry to have breakfast with her or something –" Hermione explained, "She had a very determined look on her face, which reminded me of when she talks about beating Slytherin for the House Cup." She noticed the animated figure in Evander's hand. "Is that a Harry action figure?" She asked with bewilderment and amusement. "I think I should buy one for Harry."

"I am sure he would appreciate it." Evander said. "I think I might buy one myself."

"Well, the Viktor one is going pretty fast, as is the Fleur one." Hermione observed. "It's like they managed to replicate the Veela-vibe. You are immune though, aren't you Evander?"

"I believe so. It's never really affected me, Hermione." Evander answered. "Felix is immune too."

"But not to the charms of Hannah." Neville gave a little good-natured chuckle, pointing to the pair.

Evander picked up the stick that was used for removing the goods from the top racks and he retrieved a pair of Hungarian Horntails. The stuffed dragons were pretty popular, Evander noticed. He also smiled when he caught sight of Draco – the Slytherin's arms were laden with a pair of dragons and a wide assortment of Viktor Krum memorabilia.

"You are getting a pair of them?" Neville asked Evander.

"They make good presents." Evander shrugged.

"This troll is actually pretty cute." Hermione observed. She manipulated the troll's club and swung it at Neville who playfully ducked.

"Honestly, I think I should commission this company to make a Severus Snape doll." Evander smirked.

"And what, give it to him as a gag gift?" Neville asked in midst fits of laughter. "That's on par to that day when he saw my boggart!"

"Yeah, maybe for April Fools I will give him a made up brochure on a certain line of dolls –"

He stopped talking when he spied Ron looking long and hard at a Harry figure. The red-headed boy quickly picked it up and sighed when he saw the price at the bottom. When he saw that Ron had picked out a few of the cheaper goods, Evander took an extra Harry figure and went to go pay for his purchases. Evander actually didn't have enough on his person, but the witch had said that she would deduct directly from his bank account. He signed the authorization slip – a two layer piece of parchment. He kept the bottom and gave her the top. He mused that the Wizarding world was making small developments here and there. He then instructed the saleswitch to give the additional figure to Ron as a promotional gift or for being customer number x. It wasn't that he had a superfluous stash of money but Evander had a feeling that Ron really needed a little pick-me-up.

Growing up was hard and Evander understood the trials of adolescence as well as anyone.

* * *

"Are you sure that Professor Snape is fine with this?" Hermione asked after Evander had opened the slab door separating Severus' office space and his quarters.

"Yes, he is. Please come in." Evander nodded.

When the stone slab was safely closed behind them, Hermione pulled at the air. The invisibility cloak that hid Harry pooled to the ground.

"So, Evander, why did you have me wear the cloak?" Harry asked.

"Good question." Evander replied. "It's kind of suspicious if both you and Hermione are seen walking to the dungeons. I mean, Hermione comes quite often, and you only come here for detentions. They'd think we would be up to something no good."

"Who are they?" Harry inquired.

"Why are we standing here, anyways?" Evander gestured over to the armchairs. "Would you guys like a drink?"

"Butterbeer," Harry said just as Hermione said, "Tea, please."

Evander hunted for the familiar tray that Severus had used the night before. Missy was out of the castle, visiting family since late yesterday afternoon, so he, Felix and Severus had to make do by themselves. He found a butterbeer in the fridge and quickly brewed up two teas with Severus' favoured green tea leaves. He also poured a bag of crisps into a bowl and brought the tray out to the coffee table.

"To answer your question, Harry – they refers to those who wish to mess with the mechanisms of our daily lives." Evander sipped at his tea. "Not just yours, but mine as well. What we do know is that someone put your name into that Goblet. Unfortunately, we don't know the bigger story – or should I say – the plot that goes with it. But, that's not what we are here to worry about. Did Professor McGonagall teach you the _summoning_ charm today?"

"How did you know?" Harry looked astonished.

Evander shrugged. "That's not too important either. If you observe your surroundings and the people around you – you can learn a lot. It's a difficult skill, for your brain is designed to tune out the daily humdrum of everyday life to focus on what's important. But, you can train yourself to do so. And the most important thing is to question everything. For instance, I can tell when our Headmaster is utilizing _Legilimency_ on a person."

"He wouldn't..." Hermione trailed off when she saw Evander's face.

"Trust me; it's never a good idea to look into the eyes of a Master _Legilimens_ unless you are sure that your shields are sufficient. And, while I agree that it's not ethical to go around probing the minds of other people – people are human – Hermione. People have their temptations, regardless of how high of a pedestal you put them on." Evander explained. "I am human. Severus is human. Dumbledore is human. We are prone to err."

"So, can you mind-read?" Harry asked.

"Don't let Severus hear you." Evander looked at his younger self severely. "In a sense, it is. But it's much more complicated than that. The mind is a very complex construct – made up of many different layers. We aren't quite sure how it operates – we go from Freud and his ideas of the id, the ego and the superego to more complex theories. We have an unconscious and a conscious. We have a primitive side and we have the frontal lobes that we use for reasoning, decision making and logic. As a _Legilimens_ , your job is to sort through the conscious and the unconscious. It's very difficult to go beyond the thoughts that a person is currently preoccupied with – in their working memory. And it's even worse to go into the unconscious memories and the long term memories. Unless the person has hyperthymesia – the gift of perfect autobiographical recall – or eidetic memory – the ability to remember to recall the senses in great capacity – the memory you retrieve might even be false! For instance, if I looked through your mind to find out what you had for lunch the other day, the memory may have mutated to fit your schemas which are basically your generalized image of yourself."

"Holy Merlin, Evander." Hermione shook her head. "You should be a professor, honestly. Where did you learn all of that?"

"Through Muggle psychology texts – and I apply stuff that I find in there for practical use. Sometimes it doesn't work – science is after all a mutable thing that gets us closer to the truth, but when it does, it works fabulously." Evander explained. He then winked, "Never give up your Muggle roots. There are many implications that Muggle knowledge has on magic. It's a shame that most purebloods are too blind to realize this."

It was true. Evander became an excellent _Obliviator_ through his dabbling with Muggle texts. One of his specialities had been the implantation of false memories.

"Now, on to business before I bore you two," Evander said. "Can you show me summoning skills, Harry?"

" _Accio_ _book!_ " Harry pulled out his wand. He performed the correct wand movement and incantation.

One of Severus' books flew from the bookshelf. It was entitled _Potions of the Dark Ages_.

"Let me ask you some questions, Harry." Evander said. "Was that the book you wanted to get?"

"Yes, it is." Harry nodded.

"What was it you said to get the book?" Evander asked. He drank a gulp of tea.

"Um... _Accio book_?" Harry looked bemused.

"Does it matter what you say as the second word?" Evander inquired.

"I guess..." Harry said slowly, "No."

"Then how?" Evander asked. "How did you get this particular book?"

"I saw it in my mind." Harry said.

"Good – so if I said _Accio book_ but I wanted a quill instead, what will happen?"

Hermione struggled to keep her mouth shut while Harry said, "You will get the quill."

"So if you were dueling," Evander began, "Is it good to confuse your opponents?"

Harry nodded. His eyes then widened. "Does that mean that one can say one incantation but mean another? For instance, if I wanted to disarm an opponent and I incant something like _Accio_ instead – is that possible?"

Hermione looked excited as Evander beamed at his younger-self's sudden flash of insight. "It's possible. But very, very, very difficult – the example you utilize is particularly hard. It's all in the mind, Harry – Hermione. The way we've been taught magic has made us stuck in certain ways of casting."

" _Accio_." Evander merely jabbed once with his wand. An apple from the fruit bowl sailed through the air. Evander caught it neatly and took a bite. "Or even," Evander drew a vertical line with his wand – a far cry from the n shape that was usually prescribed for the charm. A napkin followed a similar path that its predecessor – the apple had traveled through.

"Now you are just showing off!" Hermione exclaimed in glee, "Non-verbal and a deceiving wand stroke. You need to teach me!"

"And me!" Harry looked enthusiastic. It was the first time Evander had encountered his younger self in such an excited state. " _Accio_." Harry incanted, summoning the book he had originally gotten from the bookshelf to his lap. "It works – it works!"

"Three conditions," Evander held up a pair of fingers. "You will learn _Occlumency_. I don't have any wish for anyone else outside to know the full extent of my abilities – that includes Dumbledore. I am a free agent. Two, you will not reveal anything pertaining to these lessons to anyone. Severus will know about them but that's pretty much it. Three, Neville, Hannah and Draco will be joining us."

"Draco – as in Malfoy?" Hermione looked surprised, just as Harry looked bewildered.

"Hey, I promised." Evander shrugged. "I can't just revoke it... he's going to throw such a tantrum... And that kicked-puppy look. Merlin – I don't think I can take it. And yes, he will behave. I have his word."

"Okay, then." Harry agreed. "It's a small price to pay."

"Shake on it?" Evander shook Harry's hand first and then Hermione's.

He pressed a small piece of folded parchment into Hermione's palm, setting one of the wheels of the plan into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I followed through! It did help that I had the contents of this chapter all in my head though. The piece of Runic magic mentioned or to be used in the subsequent chapter was inspired by the two-yeast-hybrid technique used to study protein interactions if that means anything to you. (I am such a nerd.)
> 
> No update till mid/late-September. Worst case scenario – October. Got to submit apps and got a test to write.
> 
> -L


	15. Runic Trickery (The First Task)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My last year of undergraduate was way too hectic to work on fanfic.
> 
> My sincere apologies.

On the eve of the First Task, Felix was restless. It was close to midnight, and many of his industrious Raven housemates had gone to bed, leaving a few stragglers down in the common room.

Evander was nowhere to be seen. The former Head Auror had vanished somewhere after dinner along with the dragon collar that Felix had slaved over for much of the weekend and one of the cuddly dragons bought from the merchandise tent. Felix wasn't a hundred percent sure in regards to what kind of shit was going to go down the next morrow, and he knew that he was getting a little antsy from the suspense. It was funny, how Evander could be so different from Harry, yet still maintain bits of the old impulsivity and recklessness. Of course, Evander would protest that he took so-called ' _calculated_ ' risks now.

Felix chuckled himself and got out of comfy chair near the fireplace. He let his eyes linger at the crackling fire. He raised his arms above his head in a stretch. He followed that up with an impressive yawn.

"Heading off to bed?"

He turned around to see Su and Terry with their quills in hand and massive amounts of parchment on a study table. Potion textbooks were piled between the two.

"Yeah," Felix replied. "Night."

He mounted the stairs and headed off to his dormitory for bed.

Sleep did not come easily to him. He was tired, but the restlessness remained. It was a strange feeling, after three months of the best sleep he ever had since returning to good old England. He twisted and turned, hoping to find a better position but he eventually gave up and just lay still. It felt like hours before he started to drift, stuck in that precarious line between reality and non-reality.

_He was walking along an old beaten path. The late afternoon sun shone on him. Grass grew between the cracks of the cobblestones. The air was fresh and clean. The flora was vividly green, with blue, white and purple flowers flourishing alongside the path. It wasn't until he walked past a few people chattering in French that he knew exactly where he was. He stuffed a hand through one of his cloak pockets and found a shrunken version of one of his old Potions lab books, exactly where he usually kept them in the past. He stopped purely out of habit to buy a fresh baguette from the small family owned boulangerie that he had frequented daily. He paid the baker's daughter with a few coins (Muggle) from another pocket, picked up the bread, bade her bonsoir and kept going. Gated stone houses, new and old, replaced the fields of flowers and he himself pushed open an iron gate several minutes later. His old house was still the same – there was no change from when he saw it last. He pulled out his wand from his cloak – he hadn't owned a proper holster till he went into Law Enforcement – muttered Alohomora and entered through the side door that led directly downward via spiral staircase to his laboratory._

_There was a simmering cauldron of black liquid, some finished potions and a sticky note on the dark countertop of his work bench. He tended to the black liquid first, taking it off the flames and giving it a few quick stirs. He filled a watering can with water and carefully tended to the various Potions ingredients that he had growing in decorative ceramic pots. All very routine, really – he was just going through the motions. He finally turned to the bright yellow sticky on the table and he snapped out of the autopilot mode he was on. He felt his heart lurch in his chest._

_It was the last note Hannah had ever left to him._

' _Fuck.'_

_He clenched the note in his fingers. It was a rather ordinary note, informing him of chores that she had wanted him to do, and that she loved him._

' _Fuck!'_

_He swore again when he realized that her body was probably lying upstairs, where the bastard had left it. Did he dare go up? While his mind was still churning about that, his feet started to head for the marble stairs that led from the basement to the main floor. The marble transitioned into expensive wooden floor when he made it to the landing. He walked quietly towards the front of the house, noting that everything was exactly as he had remembered it. He stopped short when he saw someone in dark robes leaning over..._

' _Fucking bastard!'_

_Felix roared, forgetting all protocol and training that he had in these kinds of situations. His wand was still in hand as that someone slowly stood up. It was Rookwood, tall and lanky, with a mess of whitening-dark hair and pale-faced – the man merely smiled – a thin cruel smile. He looked a lot older than when Felix saw him last. But, the calm Rookwood exhibited upon noticing Felix's intrusion only made Felix seethe further._

_Before Felix could throw any Avada Kedavras in the hated man's direction, Rookwood had vanished. Hannah's body was gone too but there was blood on the floor. The blood was dry and there were silver markings glowing on the stone floor. Felix realized that Rookwood had been holding a piece of silver chalk. He had been drawing Runes on the floor. There was a large pentagram, a triangle and the runes extended all the way into the adjacent rooms. And just like Rookwood – they vanished too seconds later. Felix tried a few revealing spells, but they didn't work._

' _Sodding murderer.' Felix muttered darkly._

_His anger was gone now, and only a sense of helplessness remained._

_But what did this mean?_

_He had no fucking clue. He couldn't recover the Runes again because the chalk had belonged to Rookwood. He wasn't Evander – who might have had an idea on how to reveal the Runes of another individual who used blood chalk. The sun was still shining brightly on the stone floors of the foyer – on the blood, the invisible silver markings and him._

_And he did something he couldn't since the day Hannah had died. He sat down on the stone floor and cried untill he could cry no more._

* * *

Felix awoke abruptly the next day. His eyes were unusually crusty and he spent a long time wiping at them.

_It's just a dream_. He told himself. _Just focus on the Triwizard._ He continued this mantra for the next few minutes as he opened the curtains of his four-poster bed, performed his morning rituals and changed into the clothes he would wear. It had to be slightly formal, considering that he was planning to go eat dinner down at Hogsmeade with Severus, Evander and Professor McGonagall.

The dorm was completely devoid of life. It was almost noon, and Felix knew no one bothered to wake him up since he was notorious for sleeping in. Evander's bed had looked completely untouched since last night and Felix knew that his fellow time-traveller had not made it to bed at all. He donned his Ravenclaw robes and headed for the Great Hall, where lunch was scheduled to start soon.

"Ah, there you are, sleepyhead!" He was greeted with various jibes of that nature when he sat down at the Ravenclaw table.

Evander was there too. He watched as his old boss had a rather whispered discussion with Viktor – maybe with the use of _Muffiato_? Felix wasn't quite sure. But, he found himself dwelling on that dream. He wondered if there was really invisible Rune markings back at his old place. He had never heard of Rookwood being a Master of Runes. He ate mechanically as he pondered.

"Is there something wrong?"

A quiet voice startled Felix from his thinking. It was Luna. He hadn't even realized that he was sitting beside her. She was wearing her radish earrings and one of those 'Potter Rocks' badges that had recently been circulating around the student population. She had a stuffed Gryffindor lion beside her.

"Just thinking about dreams..." Felix said quietly.

"Dreams are interesting, aren't they?" Luna mused rather dreamily, "Sometimes you can visit the past and even peek through the Veil with them..."

"... The Veil..." Felix muttered. He suddenly had an image of Luna standing at the Department of Mysteries calmly lifting up the fabric of the Veil and peering calmly through.

"I've done it once." Luna continued, "I saw my mum."

Felix looked uncomfortable at the direction the conversation was turning. It was verging on the awkward for him. "I... am sorry."

"It was many years ago, Felix." Luna then said brightly, "Not like I won't see her again."

Felix sighed. _Would the Hannah he knew wait for him at the Veil?_ Not that he was completely sure that there was an afterlife. But the Veil certainly existed at the Ministry. He had seen it with his own eyes although he hadn't heard any whispers beyond it contrary to what others had observed. He did envy Luna's certainty that she would see her mother again. He felt Luna place a hand gently on his arm and heard her say cheerfully:

"Let's go find some good seats! The task is going to begin soon!"

Rather reluctantly, he let the cheery Luna drag him out of the Great Hall. His fellow students followed suit, filing out of the Hall and towards the Pitch.

* * *

Evander was running on very limited quantities of sleep and a large amount of coffee when he took his seat between Severus and Hermione in the stands. He had spent most of his Sunday enchanting the dragon collar that Felix had made, imbuing it with the magic of the Runes he had designed much earlier. There were other things he had to prepare as well, such as slipping into the Forbidden Forest in the cover of darkness to slip the collar onto the dragon – this time he wasn't stupid enough to try and repossess the dragon and leave something else behind. He had also paid a little visit to fake-Mad-Eye on Sunday. He managed to confound Fake-Moody to make him urgently believe that he had to teach Harry two spells – the Stunning spell ( _Stupefy_ ) and the Conjunctivitis curse. Evander would have asked for more, but he vaguely remembered how hard it was for his younger self to master one measly summoning charm. It was easy, he just added a little more embellishment to Fake-Moody's already present need to help Harry through the Triwizard. All he did was to give fake-Moody a short term plan. The use of his Tracking spell confirmed that fake-Moody had taken Harry aside Sunday evening and taught the spells. Of course, it would have been more ethical to convince fake-Moody to teach Harry the two spells – heck he could have taught Harry himself, but again, he had his reasons.

One of those reasons would include covering his ass.

After mentally going over everything he had done in the past few days, Evander concluded that there was really nothing to do but to enjoy the show. He looked amusedly at Draco, who was wearing various Viktor Krum memorabilia and clutching a stuffed dragon in his arms. Felix was nowhere to be seen and Hermione was beginning to show signs of worry. Neville, who was sitting next to her, looked solemn as he held up one end of an enormous banner that bore the legend ' _Potter for President'_ , complete with a crudely drawn stick figure on a broom and a lightning bolt. The other end was held up by an enthusiastic Colin.

It felt strange to be sitting on this side of the tournament. He half-listened as Ludo Bagman explained the details of the task while he let his eyes roam around the people in the stands. He watched as the competitors drew their dragons – Fleur was to go first with the Common Welsh Green, Krum, second with the Chinese Fireball and finally Harry, who of course, drew the Horntail. He observed carefully as Fleur put her dragon to sleep, and had to let out a snort of amusement when the dragon snorted out flame when she was halfway between her starting point and the golden egg. Without a hitch, she put out the flames that were burning her skirt and retrieved the egg with no further problems. Viktor used the Conjunctivitis curse, blinded the she-dragon and had to move fast to avoid a maddened, stumbling Chinese Fireball to obtain his egg in one piece. Evander reflected that it was a good thing that the retrieval target was made out of metal and not eggshell. Sometime during Viktor's turn, Evander felt increasing pressure on his hand. He realized that Hermione had grabbed his hand at some point. She was gradually squeezing harder and harder as the Task progressed. And when it was Harry's turn, Evander shifted a bit in his seat, realizing that he hadn't moved since Fleur stepped out onto the pitch. He also reached in his robe pocket for a shrunken silver cauldron that he had brought for two purposes. One, just in case the sensations of dizziness and vomiting occurred again, and two, to activate the dragon collar. He discreetly pressed a small carved rune at the bottom of the cauldron and felt a small vibration indicating that the collar down below was activated. The magic had a limited distance that it could act through and Evander had taken great pains to get the calculations right so that it didn't matter where he sat in the stadium.

Harry looked so small compared to both Fleur and Viktor from where Evander was sitting. There was a moment's hesitation on Harry's part until the Hungarian Horntail noticed him. She snarled, standing in a protective stance in front of her eggs. That seemed to galvanize Harry to action. Evander's younger self pulled out his wand and from the looks of the wand movement, Evander knew that a Summoning Charm had been performed. The _Firebolt_ came whizzing through the air and Harry caught it. In one smooth practiced motion, he took to the air. It was perfect timing, for there was a jet of flame issued from the Hungarian Horntail's maw directed at the spot that Harry had just stood a few seconds ago. The crowd oohed and ahed appropriately and he felt Hermione give the mother of all death squeezes that made him feel that his hand would come off.

Harry dodged several more jets of fire as he spiraled up and up above the dragon's head, as if taunting it. Finally, Evander watched as Harry pulled out his wand again and a red jet of light hit the dragon. The effect was instantaneous. First, there was a flash of light followed by a loud thundering noise. And second, the dragon seemed to vanish. Evander suddenly felt very sick, weak and queasy. He desperately reached for a flask of Anti-Nausea in his pocket. He dropped it on his lap and shakily picked it up again. Severus, to his credit, tore his eyes away from the baffling scene and finally noticed Evander's predicament and took the flask, unstoppered it and brought it up to Evander's mouth. Evander gulped gratefully.

Around Evander, there were confused murmurs all throughout the stands. Even Ludo Bagman was at a loss for words. The murmurs were replaced by gasps of awe and astonishment when Harry picked up a cuddly dragon toy that resembled a Hungarian Horntail from the ground where the real dragon had been standing and the golden dragon egg that he was supposed to retrieve.

The potion that Evander took clearly didn't act quickly enough; he found himself throwing up into the cauldron a few minutes later. He conveniently banished the object into non-being, and quickly joined the enthused clapping and hollering of the crowd at Harry's supposedly stunning display of transfigurative magic.

* * *

The dinner at the Three Broomsticks was postponed for a later date. Evander felt sicker as the day went on, to the point where he was a running a low fever, caught the sniffles, had an itchy throat, developed a throbbing headache and suffered through occasional bouts of nausea. He felt cold, despite the use of warming charms and instead, conjured himself a thick quilt and had Severus pour him a hot cup of tea. He sat next to the fireplace in Severus' quarters, listening to Minerva, Severus and Felix talk at the dining table. Missy had made a mini-feast, complete with fresh slices of garlic bread, a chicken salad, battered cod with mushy peas and a fruit platter. Evander was mildly upset that he had no appetite for any of Missy's delicious cooking tonight.

Evander had learned that the Dragon Keepers had been unable to transfigure their Horntail back ( _no surprise there!_ ). Minerva had taken Harry aside right after the Task and asked for his account of events – this account was corroborated by Fake-Moody, who had checked Harry's wand shortly after the Task. She had also managed to take a quick look at the stuffed toy before the Keepers sent off the toy to professional curse-breakers in an attempt to break the enchantment ( _Evander felt a tad sorry for the Keepers as professional curse breakers had exuberant fees_ ) and she was of the opinion that absolutely no _transfiguration_ took place during Harry's run.

Evander had to smile inwardly – Minerva was definitely a Master of her craft.

"So what was Albus' opinion on all of this?" Severus asked, after taking a draught of _Ogden's Finest_.

Minerva sighed in exasperation. "Albus didn't seem to care. He simply said _'Harry passed the task – it doesn't matter how.'_." She turned to Evander, "I really wish you would let me take you to the Infirmary –"

Evander coughed, before he said rather hoarsely, "Felix says that I have a bacterial infection – Draco's brewing me something. Nothing to worry about..."

Well, he wasn't lying. Felix had told him a few hours ago that he had all the classic signs of a Strep infection ( _great..!_ ) and Evander had a feeling that the symptoms of his infection was co-morbid with his dragon problem. To put it simply – he felt like shit.

Minerva finished her Gillywater before taking her leave as she had to prepare for her first period class tomorrow. After when the door was safely shut behind her, Severus turned his attention to Evander and asked rather innocently, "So, where is the dragon?"

Evander noted the amusement on Severus' face.

"I was going to get to that." Evander said just as Draco stepped into the room with a flask of rather putrid brown liquid. Evander got the flask from the Slytherin, and downed the potion. It was nasty, but Evander felt the scratchiness of his throat clear. His headache turned down a notch but his weakness remained. He knew he was not up to any larks in the Forbidden Forest today.

"Thanks, Draco." Evander gave the boy a nod of approval.

Draco merely nodded before excusing himself from the group – claiming that he had some last minute homework to finish.

"Okay, so –" Evander began to explain where in the Forbidden Forest the dragon was located. It was very close to the Quidditch Pitch. When he asked them to go retrieve the dragon sometime between today and tomorrow evening seeing as he was in no shape to do so on his own, Severus' eyes widened.

"But it's enor –" Severus objected.

"No she's not," Felix corrected, "If Evander did everything correctly, she should be no bigger than an average sized dog."

"Fine." Severus agreed curtly, "But may I ask – why? Why even bother kidnapping the Horntail?"

Evander sighed wearily. This was not a topic he was in any condition to touch this night. "Can we just talk about this tomorrow? It's complicated and it's completely my fault. I will explain what happened and why this was necessary." Evander simply wanted to be left alone so he could rest.

Severus merely stared at Evander incredulously. Felix decided to take pity. "Come on, Severus, I believe we have a dragon to retrieve."

Evander was relieved when both Felix and Severus left the quarters. As he was in no shape to make it to his comfortable four-poster bed, he slowly made his way to one of Severus' comfortable chairs, snugly wrapped the quilt around himself, muttered _Nox_ under his breath to snuff out the lights and fell into a deep sleep as the fire crackled in the fireplace.

* * *

Fetching the dragon did not prove to be a difficult task. Felix and Severus decided also to collect some Potions ingredients as well. Various herbs were gathered and Felix looked around for fallen branches of specific trees – ash, oak and yew. There were some potions that brewed better with fire kindled from specific types of wood rather than flames conjured with a wand. He bundled up the branches and shrunk them down to size. Finally, when they headed back towards Hogwarts, they stopped by the location where Evander had indicated. Felix used his wand to move the earth and Severus was soon able to spot a large brown sack underneath. Felix helped Severus pull the object out. They opened the mouth of the bag and were able to see the curled up Horntail. Tentatively, Felix reached inside and touched her rather abrasive scales. The dragon didn't move.

"By Merlin, he's actually done it." Severus whispered in awe. "You know... I was bluffing when I asked Evander where the bloody dragon was."

Felix didn't comment. He continued examining the dragon, mainly out of fascination. He could almost understand Hagrid's love of dangerous creatures. Almost. A layperson would say that the dragon was dead, judging by the apparent lack of breathing and heart rate. But, Evander had induced the Horntail into a state of suspended animation.

He closed up the bag, this time tying it off with a piece of rope that he conjured out of nowhere. He tapped the bag once, placing a disillusionment charm on it to render it invisible and handed it off to Severus who shouldered the bag with a grunt. It was rather heavy. None of them wanted to try lightening or shrinking charms, unsure of what the repercussions would be for interfering with Evander's magic.

The trek back to Severus' quarters was rather uneventful. They walked by Filch and his horrible cat – he still found them rather repellant, despite his years out of Hogwarts. He mused that it was fortunate that he and Severus were disillusioned, but he then remembered that it didn't matter – Severus was a professor, and Filch was definitely not going to threaten the Hogwarts Potions Master with chains and whips. He laughed quietly at his thought. They did come to an abrupt stop when they finally reached Severus' office – Severus' ingredient cupboard door was left ajar, and Felix knew that Fake-Mad-Eye was raiding the Boomslang again. He could see Severus' hand twitch towards the wand he kept in his robe pocket. Severus finally put his hand down and sighed resignedly. Felix knew Severus was not pleased as Boomslang was rare and expensive. The two walked by the heist-in-progress.

"Really, Severus," Felix began to muse when they entered the laboratory, "We can't really condemn the theft of Boomslang, when we just successfully stole a dragon."

"But that's my Boomslang." Severus refuted, "And I think, we better find a spot for this dragon soon – preferably not at Hogwarts. There surely must be someone with enough neurons to rub together to realize that the Horntail is gone within the coming weeks."

Felix chuckled. "We will have to talk with Evander about that." Felix pulled out a lab bench drawer on Evander's side, charmed the inside to be larger than it originally was, and Severus placed the bag in. Felix shut it, and locked it with a spell so that only he could open the drawer.

* * *

It was very late when Felix finally made it to his Ravenclaw dorm room. He used his wand's light to navigate through the darkness of the room. Deciding that he didn't smell too great, he quickly took a warm shower, threw his dirty clothes in the hamper located in front of his four-poster bed for the house-elves to wash and climbed into bed. Everyone else had long hit the sack – only Evander's bed was empty. As he lifted the quilt to sleep underneath it, a slightly crumpled yellow piece of paper fluttered out into view. He caught it before it hit the bed.

It was a post-it note. He carefully straightened it out, and the words writ upon it made his blood run cold.

It was the same one that he had been holding... in that dream, last night.


	16. A Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update won't be so quick.

Evander, Felix and Severus were gathered around Severus' dining table after curfew. They had removed the dragon from the bag and had transferred her over to the table. She lay belly-side down, in a slightly curled position. Even with her miniature form in repose, her razor sharp claws and slightly protruding teeth shone with deadly intent.

Evander was definitely feeling a lot better since the previous night. He had gone to classes, brewed some Potions and had dinner with Severus and Felix. He carefully observed the dragon, mentally making an inventory of how many spikes, tail barbs and other weaponry that she possessed. Her enormous wings were folded up limply, and the delicate-looking membranes felt leathery in Evander's fingers. He estimated that her wingspan was almost as long as she was tall.

Evander smiled slightly. He loved it when his runic enchantments worked. Or at least, they appeared to work in this instance.

"The enchantment has three parts." Evander began to explain, his fingers caressing the rare metal of the disillusioned collar around the Horntail's neck. The metal had been found in the Room of Hidden Things. "Switching, shrinking and sleeping. Where you lot dug up the dragon yesterday was where I had buried a modified Horntail toy that resembled the real-life Horntail in great detail. When Harry performed a stunning spell, the spell served as a trigger to activate the enchantments. Well, it's not really a trigger, but that's one way to explain how it worked. The dragon would shrink, pure runic work here, fall under what Muggles call suspended animation, a state where most laypeople would consider the organism in question dead and switch places with my sham-dragon toy."

"Then, I suppose it's not that novel." Felix said with a smile, "You based the switching on the very basic Switching Spell and the 'sleeping' part was done by using the basics of the Suspended-Animation Charm." Upon seeing Severus' look of confusion in regards to the latter charm, Felix explained, "It's a charm that was developed Post-Voldemort that was used on individuals who suffered grievous injuries, to keep them in a 'suspended' state until the appropriate help is available. There are of course, limitations to this charm – you can't keep a severely injured person alive forever, but it's to buy time."

"And in this case, I think we have about a week. Then, the dragon will wake." Evander counted off his fingers, based on his calculations, "And of course, I based everything on whatever known magic was available. I definitely don't have time to make things up from scratch. It's a lot easier to innovate than to re-invent everything."

"I guess... we need plans... both short term and long." Felix said thoughtfully. "For one thing, where to hide this little bugger?" He gesticulated towards the dragon.

"I think... Evander owes me an explanation of why this is all necessary." Severus interrupted. "You did promise yesterday." The professor sipped at his mug of tea.

"I believe I did." Evander pulled out a chair and sat down. He lightly touched the bronze scales of the Horntail's fearsome face, noting the many smooth spikes that jutted out from behind her head. She was rather cold to the touch. He admired the play of light on her scales. He summoned his own mug from Severus' kitchen and took his time to physically pour tea into it from a raku teapot. The teapot was situated on wooden tray next to the dragon, rather close to Severus. Felix, after shrugging, helped himself to some tea as well.

"I had a great idea some time ago." Evander started. "About the dragons – you know. Besides Runes and duelling, I am greatly interested in the mind. I learned _Legilimency_ and _Occlumency_ during my trainee Auror days. It came a lot easier then when I was first taught it." Evander was reminded of the training that happened in the year of the Umbitch with Severus. To put it lightly, that was a major disaster on both sides. "But anyways, Felix and I went down to the Forbidden Forest to see the dragons –"

Felix looked like he wanted to refute that statement, but Evander gave him a look that conveyed the message 'kindly please shut up'.

Evander proceeded. "I saw my old nemesis, the Hungarian Horntail. Think she injured my shoulder with one of the spiky ends – don't remember exactly – I've gotten a lot of injuries over the years. I thought to myself – why not –"

"Try to use _Legilimency_ ," Severus supplied emotionlessly. "On a dragon."

"But it worked." Evander added quickly. "It was a very surreal experience. The sensory equipment of dragons makes us look blind. Everything was so confusing, so different from the minds of humans. And then, I wanted to take it a step further."

"A step further?" Severus quirked an expressive eyebrow.

"Possession," Evander answered. "Voldemort's done it to me in my Fifth year at Hogwarts. I've never done it myself on another human being. The _Imperius_ makes life a lot easier. Although the former would be legal... considering a very minimal number of wizardkind are capable of such a feat." He paused to finish his mug of tea. "But I managed that too. Felix saw."

Felix simply nodded. Severus looked impressed. He then said soberly, "A very dangerous thing to attempt... you aren't the first nor the last to try and take control of a magical creature – with the mind."

"If I knew what the bloody bastard was going to do, I probably would have stopped him." Felix said.

Severus chuckled. Evander laughed. "When has anyone tried to talk me out of any crazy ideas I've had?"

The rhetorical question hung in the air for a bit before Severus spoke. The Potions' Master had looked rather thoughtful during the silence. He offered his hypothesis. "Something went wrong then, when you tried to leave the body of the dragon. I've read that the minds of magical beasts are very disorienting to navigate and therefore a common complication is that the person gets stuck in the magical beast. But, since you are here, I think you probably weren't able to extract you entire self from the mind of this Hungarian Horntail." The Potions' Master poured himself more tea. He said with satisfaction. "I know I am right. And you need the dragon to recover yourself."

Evander nodded. He was very glad that he had made Severus' acquaintance this time around.

"I guess what I have left to ask..." Severus continued saying. "What is your course of action?"

Evander looked at the teapot, then the dragon and finally to his own mug. He sipped it. And he said, more to himself then to his companions in the room. "I guess I have no choice, but to finish what I've started. There isn't another way..."

Severus merely replied. "Be careful."

"I will." Evander stood up and pulled out his wand. He returned the Horntail to the bag she had been lying in for the past day. He walked out of Severus' quarters. Felix followed him.

* * *

"Ah, Severus, it's good to see you again."

A tall, muscular and tanned wizard stood up from the desk he sat at. Unlike the lime-green clad Healers at St. Mungo's, this man wore grey robes with the crossed bone and wand emblem of the hospital.

"Gaspard, you look – quite different." Severus looked at the man in great amusement. Back in the day, Gaspard had looked more along the lines of Severus: pale, lanky with a pair of old-style spectacles.

Gaspard shrugged, "A little sun, a smidgeon of exercise and a rather pricey spell for my myopic eyes happened between now and then." He then grinned mischievously, "You look like you could do with a bit of sun yourself."

Felix, who had been standing next to Severus, bit his lip to hold back from snickering while Severus politely declined such a recommendation. A woman, dressed in tan robes and high heeled shoes walked over to Gaspard's desk with a file. Severus guessed that she was a secretary of some sort. She caught sight of the Hogwarts Potions' Master – dropped whatever she was holding and scurried away. Without missing a beat, Gaspard summoned the dropped document and placed it neatly on his desk.

"One of your former students, I suppose." Gaspard observed conversationally, "But then again, Ellie was always a little clumsy. But, please, sit down – both of you." He gesticulated to two wooden seats in front of his desk.

When both Severus and Felix were seated, Gaspard scrutinized Felix. "A student of yours, Severus?"

"Indeed." Severus replied back.

"And you are?" Gaspard looked pointedly at Felix.

"Felix."

"It's nice to meet you, Felix. I am Gaspard. I am also known as Master Kelly – whatever you prefer. I run this section of St. Mungo's, which you may have already observed that it is the Laboratory. We run a full diagnostic service, clinical studies, Potions stockroom and a brew-on-demand service. I studied under the same Master as Severus here did, although I started earlier."

Gaspard turned to Severus. "No way in heck I can still get you to work for me?"

"Until heck freezes over –" Severus said rather lightly, "But, it's nice to know that there is demand for me."

"We are short-handed, definitely. Bloody administration only gave me enough money to hire one good Potions Master – when I need at least three more. You would be definitely worth more than three." Gaspard said wistfully.

"Only at three times the rate of pay offered," Severus quipped.

Gaspard laughed harshly. When he stopped, he said grimly, "We both know that's never going to happen. But, if you are not here to get employed, then I think the details of the latest contract up for grabs have your interest?"

"Precisely." Severus replied. "The one with _Anti-Wheeze_ and _Liver Rejuvenator_."

"Well, the contract for that one is expiring at the end of the year. We are in a mess about that one. Current company wants a two percent hike on every Potion on that list, and the budget people don't like that. There's also another company who offered to do it at the old rate, but they don't exactly specialize in medicinal Potions. And, you know, these aren't exactly the kinds of Potions you want to take a risk on. There are very few people let alone companies in this world that I would trust with these." Gaspard looked at Severus with great interest. He then scanned his desk and pulled out a few drawers before he found a sheet of parchment. He pushed it towards Severus.

"List of exact quantities that we need every week – we use an algorithm to estimate what we need per week and add a bit more to ensure that we have a buffer or enough available in case of unexpected emergencies..."

Severus scrutinized the list carefully. It was way too much for him to handle in one week along with his regular duties. But he had Felix... and Evander and Draco. Maybe he could ask them to find some other less idiotic students to lighten the load a bit. And, maybe – after this year of Hogwarts – he could convince Felix to work with him and really get this venture going. And then, maybe – he could spend his life doing whatever he damned wanted to and not what Albus wanted him to.

Severus pushed the list over to Felix. There was silence for the next several minutes until Felix said, "I think this is doable with what resources we have." He then asked, "What would be the prices if we agreed to pursue this contract with a one percent hike on the original?"

Gaspard smiled. "I did not know you brought in students to negotiate for you, Severus – but I am pretty sure we might be able to accommodate that demand." He pushed over another piece of parchment. "The prices – I will leave you to add the one percent."

Severus' mind was scanning through all the ingredients that they would need on a weekly basis. He mentally made a rough estimate of cost and gain and derived profit from it. Also, the amount of time needed to brew. He would have to ask Felix for any shortcuts that have been discovered over the next twenty-or so years in the future. But overall, Severus knew that the profit margin would be within the thousands, maybe even over ten grand. He passed the parchment over to Felix. After Felix had perused the parchment's contents, they looked at each other before Severus said, "Well, Gaspard, we will have to think it over... but we will give you an answer by the end of this weekend."

"Oh, heck –" Gaspard began to say, "If you can bring me a sample of Anti-Wheeze and Blood-Cleaner by next Monday, I will give you the contract with a 1.25 percent hike. Merlin-damned budget and accounting people can go get stuffed. Merlin knows you deserve every knut of the money, Severus."

* * *

"Well, that certainly was interesting," Felix mused as he and Severus were walking up to the Hogwarts' gates.

"Indeed," Severus replied back, "I haven't seen old Gaspard in over a decade... We shouldn't dawdle too long or I will miss my afternoon classes."

"Careful, people might think that you actually enjoy teaching." Felix grinned widely.

Severus chuckled, "Hilarious." He then looked suspiciously at Felix, "Weren't you supposed to be in class this morning?"

"Me?" Felix was unprepared for the conversation shift. He then shook his head, "As if Binns' is going to notice I was gone."

"Touché," Severus grinned a modicum. "I don't think time has made him a more interesting lecturer."

"He could put a rock to sleep." Felix agreed.

"I believe you."

The two continued their conversation in that vein until students came into view. It just wouldn't do for the students to learn that their scary Potions' professor was actually human.

* * *

After dinner on Friday, Evander brought Hermione down to the laboratory.

"The password is _Rue_." Evander explained as the door opened. "So, this is the lab space –"

"Hi Felix," Hermione greeted the other Ravenclaw, who was busy brewing two complex Potions himself.

Felix didn't turn around, but Evander explained, "He's brewing Anti-Wheeze and Blood Cleaner. A bit less complicated than Wolfsbane, but still requires one's full attention. You know what they do?"

"Anti-Wheeze helps open up the airways." Hermione answered promptly, "It's good for problems like asthma or complications of pulmonary diseases. Blood Cleaner is the Wizarding equivalent of getting dialysis if your kidneys don't work properly; it removes waste from the blood. I have no idea how I would brew them though..."

"Don't worry, it's beyond NEWT – we won't ask you to brew that if –" Evander began to say when Hermione interjected excitedly, "Oh, but I would love to try! "

"Or, you can work your way up." Evander changed his reply. He should have known that Hermione would take almost any challenge thrown at her. "Okay, so the other half of the bench next to Felix belongs to Severus. The other side of their bench is my space, and you can either share a bench with me, or –"

"I am fine with sharing your space." Hermione sat down on a stool near the drawer where Evander was keeping the Horntail. "Besides, I would rather be able to watch all of you brew and learn from that."

"Here's your lab book." Evander gave her a dark blue hardcover book.

Hermione took it and flipped through it. The pages were ruled with dark blue lines.

"They are Muggle," Evander mused, "We ran out of leather-bound ones. But we enchanted them to be spill-proof and non-flammable. And this here," Evander pulled out his wand and summoned one of the Master Logbooks. He flipped it open and turned a few pages covered in neat tables. "This has all the Potions that need to be brewed. If it's done –" Evander began a very detailed lecture of how bookkeeping was done. Hermione listened very intently and occasionally asked a question or for clarification. Evander finally finished by touching a few Potions with his wand on the Master Logbook's tables, and the entries appeared on Hermione's lab book.

"Oh wow." Hermione exclaimed when Felix's neat and elegant handwriting magically appeared in her book. "You want me to brew these?"

"Over the weekend, yeah," Evander confirmed.

"And the pay offered was an equal cut of profit?" Hermione double-checked.

Evander nodded, "After cost deduction, yes. When January rolls around we are going to implement a new system – for instance, Severus and Felix ought to get paid more right now since they are the ones with all the expertise."

Felix piped up. He was done whatever tedious step he was on, "Seriously Evander, you ought to get paid equal to Severus and I. You designed the Logbook system that we are using and redid Severus' inventory system. You saved us hours of tedious work."

"Although, we do have to manually write new orders directly into the logbook," Evander said.

The door to the lab swung open and Severus walked in with armfuls of ungraded homework. Wordlessly, he left a stack in the middle of the bench. Hermione looked questioningly at it.

Evander explained, "He does that in the vain hope that someone else would willingly grade them." Upon looking at Hermione's horrified expression, he said, "Don't worry, it's typically First Year work. Usually we have to lose a bet or a game or something similar to have the privilege to grade those."

Felix snickered.

Severus finally spoke. It was devoid of any animosity. "Ms. Granger, a pleasure to see you here."

"Likewise, Professor Snape," Hermione returned the politeness. Evander could hear a slight nervousness underlying her tone.

"I guess he approves." Evander said amusedly to Felix.

Felix laughed, "Well, Severus did ask us to go find the least dunderheaded students we could find."

Severus shot them both a glare. He continued speaking as if the two Ravens weren't there. "I trust you know how to conduct yourself in a Potions' laboratory?"

"Yes, Professor Snape." Hermione nodded.

"Good." Severus said with approval.

"I wonder what he would say about Neville." Evander mused to Felix.

"You hired who?" Severus looked aghast, "Longbottom?"

"Neville," Evander repeated. "Oh come on, Severus – that shade of white is not flattering. Plus Neville's improved a lot over the past month in Potions and besides, he's a marvel with plants. He will save us a fortune in ingredient costs in the long run."

"Well, I guess you are right, Evander." Severus said thoughtfully. "We don't all need to be brewers to help with the operation."

Hermione looked very amused. It certainly wouldn't be dull working here. And she was very excited with prospect of working closely with one of the best Potions' Masters in Wizarding Britain.

* * *

Evander snuck out of Hogwarts the next morning. Hardly anyone was up at dawn (being a Saturday) and he _Apparated_ silently to Diagon Alley. He was simply dressed in a charcoal-grey shirt and an old faded pair of jeans. His dragon-clasp cloak kept out most of the wind as he headed towards _Gringotts_. He didn't go through the front entrance. Instead, he entered the building through a discreet side entrance. At this hour, it was rather empty. There was a marble spiral staircase that Evander took down at least five storeys. The ornately decorated surroundings of the ground floor of Gringotts gave way to hewn rock.

He ended up in a tunnel lit by crimson flame torches. Following its winding path, Evander soon found himself in Goblin-land. Well, in English, the lands underneath _Gringotts_ were simply referred to as the Underground, and in Gobbledegook, it was an entirely different word with no appropriate English translation. Evander hardly batted an eye as Goblins, traditionally early risers, walked at varying paces, going about their regular business in their stone tunnels. He was familiar with these grounds from his career as an _Auror_.

He passed by several stone buildings, where Goblins were preparing to open their businesses for the day. When he reached a rather seedy looking bar, he entered it by pushing through a rather battered looking wooden door. The place was open 24/7, the home of business-dealing both legal and illegal in the Goblin and Wizarding worlds and a popular place for betting. It was simply known as _The Bar_ and Evander had been here an innumerable number of times in the future past.

It looked the same as always, grungy and dim. It was half-filled to capacity, mostly goblins – young and old; respectable looking and rabble. It was also, rather noisy. Goblins when not above ground were boisterous and had loud voices. Shouting was a popular pastime. Some were downing early morning beers (Goblin-grog of course; tasted like piss in Evander's humble opinion) and others were indulging in pizza (surprisingly popular in the Underground) and pita filled with various grilled meats (typically souvlaki).

At the old grimy wooden counter, there was a bartender (who looked like an average goblin in every way) and a bookkeeper (of bets of course).

Upon seeing Evander, he shouted excitedly in Gobbledegook (which Evander understood rather well), " _Oi – Mika – it's our big human winner._ "

Mika, the bartender, merely gave Evander a once over.

" _I am here to collect my winnings._ " Evander said, rather shakily. His Gobbledegook needed more practice.

" _Why, of course. My, my, my – you were right. Harry Potter won and the task was a retrieval task that involved dragons._ " The bookkeeper did some calculations on a scrap piece of parchment. _"Two thousand galleons."_ The fat bookkeeper gave him a slip of paper that could be deposited upstairs in Gringotts in his name. _"Double or nothing – for second task prediction?_ "

" _Pah,"_ Evander snorted. Trust a goblin to try his best to not let any money escape his hands. " _I place a thousand that Harry Potter wins and that it will involve another retrieval task and a lake. Same rules as last time._ "

The goblin looked slightly annoyed, but Evander didn't give a shit. " _Very well._ " The goblin scribbled on another piece of paper and Evander signed it with a quill after carefully examining the wording.

Evander pocketed the two sheets of parchment (his deposit and his new bet) and decided to sit down at his usual table during his _Auror_ days. It had the characteristics of being in a discreet corner and a good vantage point for detection of suspicious activity. There was already someone occupying it, but Goblin-etiquette dictated that Evander's actions were permissible.

"Odd to see another human, here."

Evander nearly had a heart-attack. The voice was so familiar. But he couldn't place where. He looked up to see a girl with dark hair and vivid blue streaks. She was clad in a set of generic dark robes. There was no mistaking who she was. _Oh Merlin, it's Tonks_. On Auror stakeout duty, nevertheless.

"Wizardkind frequent here often." Evander said, "Especially _your_ type." He looked at her pointedly.

Tonks looked confused for a second. But then she understood.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Evander said amusedly, "It's rather rare to see beautiful ladies down here."

Tonks looked at him as if he was an alien. But, then she broke out laughing.

"I will take that as a yes, then." Evander got up easily from his chair. He ambled over to the barkeep and ordered something in Gobbledegook.

He returned moments later with two glasses of mead and a large sharable grilled meat platter with pieces of pita on the side.

"What is this?" Tonks pointed to the beverage. She sniffed it. "Smells nice."

"It's Excalibur's Finest Mead." Evander took a sip. "In my opinion, the best Goblin beverage you can get down here."

Tonks dubiously took a sip. "It is excellent..." She scrutinized him further, "You are a strange one."

"You are rather strange yourself." Evander retorted. He picked up a piece of pita and wrapped a skewer of meat with it. He pulled the stick out and broke his fast since dinner last night.

"You don't live here, do you?" Tonks asked.

Evander laughed, "Heck no. You aren't a metamorphmagus, aren't you?"

If Tonks wasn't shocked before, she was now.

"How did you know?"

"Something shifted a bit when you laughed the first time." Evander explained rather vaguely. He had spent a lot of time with Teddy in the past decade and a bit. He could point out a metamorphmagus after spending a few minutes with them. Sometimes, there were subtle changes in appearance when metamorphmagi expressed emotions, or laughed. "Have a pita."

Tonks picked up a pita and a skewer of meat. She copied what Evander did.

"You should seriously learn some Gobbledegook. It will help you, a lot." Evander suggested. "For one thing, you can order food, although they do accept English, contrary to their disdain for humankind."

"I probably should." Tonks agreed. "What do you do?" She asked curiously.

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that." Evander said rather flippantly, "Currently in the Potions business."

"You are a shady character." Tonks summarized succinctly.

Evander simply laughed. He then cast a time-spell and frowned. Severus and Felix were going to kill him.

"It was nice meeting you. But, regrettably, I have another appointment." Evander stood up reluctantly to go.

Before Evander had gone a few steps, he heard a crash. Tonks had gotten up and tripped over her chair. Evander ran over to give her a helping hand.

"What's your name, shady character?" Tonks asked as Evander used magic to return everything to its original state and location.

"Evan." Evander told a white lie.

Tonks thrust a piece of parchment in Evander's palm.

She winked, "Owl me maybe?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tsk tsk, Tonks. And on the job too!


	17. A Goblin and a House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday the 13th!

The streets of the Underground were busy when Evander stepped outside _The Bar_ to Knox Street; a special breed of miniature horse pulled carts laden with miscellaneous goods and goblins moved noisily across the cracked cobblestone streets, harsh altercations in Gobbledegook broke out at frantic speeds amongst the Underground natives and Goblin cart-taxi drivers sat on foldable Muggle-import stools in front of the various reputable and disreputable restaurants near _The Bar_ in view of their vehicles and animals. They chattered loudly amongst themselves, ate gyros, pita-wraps and other handy foods, smoked cheap Muggle cigarettes, and periodically solicited potential customers.

Evander walked to the next intersection, waved off a few of the taxi-drivers and made a turn. He narrowly missed walking into a manure pit. Such pits were dug at intersections, so the four-legged denizens of the Underground could relieve themselves. Magic kept the smell in check and the poop itself was regularly cleared out, processed and sold as fertilizer above ground. There was a heavy fine for horsecart drivers to let their horses go on public property without cleaning it up.

He turned again, this time into a narrow and rather claustrophobic tunnel. He pulled out his wand from his holster and illuminated the dark tunnel with _Lumos_. The tunnel was steep and had a low ceiling; if Evander had been as tall as Felix, he would had to uncomfortably stoop for the next fifteen minutes. There were no torches illuminating this tunnel. Goblins had excellent night-vision, and Evander knew that they felt it was a waste of resources to illuminate the tiny tunnels that served as lesser-known shortcuts.

The tunnel led to the centre of the Underground known as _Revolutionary's Square_. It was an enormous artificially hollowed out cavern, easily four storeys tall. The centre was circular and paved in marble. A roundabout surrounded the centre, breaking off into six major arteries of the Underground. Evander looked both ways, waited a bit and hastily crossed the road to the centre. There were vendor's tents and booths everywhere – a bazaar – where permit-holding Goblins sold all sorts of items from fresh fruit from above ground, booze of all qualities, Muggle-imports including magically charmed electronics (Goblins were tech-savvy) and even furniture. Evander found a booze-tent, haggled at ear-splitting volumes with the shopkeeper and departed many-a-galleon poorer and with a bottle of ludicrously expensive Excalibur's Finest Mead (Aged) from a specific year. He knew from experience that if you tried to talk to a shopkeeper down under at a normal volume, you couldn't get their attention.

He stopped by a fruit-stand and bought a bag of Witch Fingers (a type of sweet grape that were elongated, like fingers). He walked by the enormous marble fountain, which had jets of water being sprayed in elaborate arcs. The marble was etched with skillful designs paying homage to the various periods of Goblin art. Statues made up of precious metals and stones of bygone leaders, warriors, philosophers, inventors and anyone else that had made huge contributions to Goblin society stood on pedestals attached to the fountain itself. An enormous cauldron sat at the top of the fountain. Within it, the _Flame of Eternity_ burned. The fire had been lit after the last serious war between wizardkind and goblins, and had been carefully maintained since then. The smoke rose up into the air to the high ceiling. Slits in the ceiling above served as ventilation. Enormous rectangular flags of the Goblin houses and nation hung down from the ceiling, almost two storeys tall.

Evander walked away from the fountain and crossed the street once more. He was now directly opposite of the tunnel he had came through. He passed by a bus-stop (where Muggle-import buses would quickly transport Goblins for longer distances throughout the Underground). The stone houses on the street he was on gradually became bigger, more luxurious and had iron fencing (some had tips gilded with real gold!). Another fifteen minutes later, he was walking up a flight of spiral stairs hewn directly into the rock. He came upon a quiet street, illuminated not by torches but by magically-powered streetlights. This neighbourhood was exclusively for _Gringotts'_ employees. Humble rectangular stone houses lined the streets. Evander walked for approximately five minutes before he found the one he wanted.

The house looked like every other house, with two glass windows peering out into the street. There was a wooden door reinforced with steel and was an inch or two taller than Evander. He reached for the koi-shaped steel doorknocker (an idiosyncrasy of the house's occupant) and let it fall thrice. Soon, the wooden door swung open, revealing a friend from another time. Qwen was a clean-shaven goblin of average height, had a head full of dirty blond hair, mirthful blue eyes and a sharp nose. He looked much younger than when Evander first saw him in his former life; for one thing, Qwen had been bald and had kept a large beard.

Evander had first met the goblin during one of the many Ministry-sanctioned parties post-Voldemort as a trainee _Auror_. It had been boring, full of cheap liquor, full-of-them-self politicians and those elegant long-winded speeches that meant nothing. Qwen had been working under Director of Financial Interspecies and International Relations at _Gringotts_ and had drawn the short straw to come to said party. They had hit it off, ditched the party halfway and Qwen had ended up becoming Evander's financial advisor and manager of the Potter fortune. When Evander had become _Head-Auror_ , Qwen shortly took over his boss's job and the two would often shoot the breeze over Qwen's favourite mead on biweekly to monthly basis as their schedules permitted.

But of course, this Qwen did not know Evander. He felt a pang of loss in his chest when Qwen first came into view and asked in impeccable English, "I believe you are Mr. Murphy?" He looked grave and serious. A little cold too (rather common amongst goblins when confronted with humankind).

Evander nodded and offered the formal and polite _Gobbledegook_ greeting, " _Best of the morning to you_ , Qwen."

The coldness seemed to go away a bit, and Qwen's face became more animated. " _Ah, you speak the language of the natives!_ " His eyes rested to the goods that Evander carried, " _And – what is this? What is that, here, bottle –_ " He pointed to the bottle of mead that Evander carried in the crook of his elbow.

" _A little drink to wag the tongue._ " Evander said dryly. It was a Goblin saying that Evander was quite fond of using.

Qwen's stony expression had completely given way to amusement.

" _Naturally, of course, it is a gift for you._ " Evander offered the bottle to him. " _And this, here, are some grapes – believe they call them_ Witches' Fingers." He handed Qwen the grapes.

"This is very generous of you, Mr Murphy." Qwen lapsed back into English. "Please, come in. We will break out the goblets as tradition dictates and discuss business after pleasure."

The house was the same as Evander had last seen it when he was thirty-three. The interior was not. Gone were the expensive rosewood furnishings that Qwen's wife had preferred. Instead, good quality plain furniture was present. Tapestries depicting Goblin historical scenes, Chinese wall-hangings and framed prints of the Impressionist Claude Monet's work hung on the stone walls. Books, papers and newspapers were strewn everywhere and Evander knew for sure that Qwen was living the life of the bachelor.

Qwen's study was small and cramped, due to the staggering number of bookshelves and books that he had managed to cram into the small space. There was a lit fireplace on one side, which served as a quick method to get to the ground floor of _Gringotts_. The goblin hastily stacked up loose paper and parchment into a haphazard pile and looked through some drawers for his aforementioned goblets.

There were some elementary books on Mandarin and thick tomes of history on one side of Qwen's desk. Evander mused, "Learning Mandarin?"

"Yes." Qwen found a pair of silver goblets. He removed the cork from Evander's bottle of mead by means of a corkscrew. "China will be the next financial superpower. I see many opportunities opening up in the future. _Gringotts_ should be prepared to make ties in Shanghai and Beijing in the future, yes." He decanted the liquid with fluid skill. "I love languages. You can't truly understand a culture or a country without the knowledge of their language. So many unique ways of thinking..." He sipped at the mead. "Tis the nectar of the gods... if there are any. My favourite year too... You are really to kind; a brew such as this is too much a luxury for my current economies."

Evander laughed inwardly. The brew was too much of a luxury for his own economies. How he missed his old bank account!

Qwen turned his attention to Evander's other offering, the grapes. "Ah, yes, the Witches' Fingers – eh, Mr. Murphy – they would have burnt you at the stake in Medieval times – how did you know that grapes are my favourite fruit? And you got it down to the variety too!" Qwen ate a grape with a rather blissful expression on his countenance.

Evander smiled. "I didn't." He then mused dryly, "Back then, they would have burnt me at the stake anyways."

Qwen laughed. "Very true – got me there; you are after all, a wizard – Mr. Murphy."

Evander winced, 'Please, Qwen, call me Evander."

"So be it, Evander." Qwen held up his goblet. He proposed a toast, "To generous drink-buying wizards."

Evander raised his own glass, "To generous drink buying wizards and goblins with a sense of humor."

The goblets clinked together and both drank deeply. There was a silence that followed after; Evander knew that Qwen liked to take his time when it came to fancy drinks. When Qwen drained the last of his third goblet of mead, he finally re-corked the bottle and carefully placed it in a cunningly hidden alcohol 'cabinet' in his bookshelf.

"To business," Qwen finally said. He briskly bent over and pulled out a piece of parchment that had been Evander's letter to him via owl. "So, I understand is that you want me to manage your money?"

"That is correct." Evander affirmed. He pulled out more parchments from the pocket of his cloak. "I don't have a lot of capital yet, but hopefully Chance is favourable. I plan to spend half of the money in the acquisition of a new property. I have stake in a Potions venture that has recently secured a contract with St. Mungo's. And..." Evander pulled out a roll of parchment strips held together via rubber band, "All of these bets to collect."

Qwen's eyes widened as he flipped through the pieces of parchment. "Isn't betting a little... high risk?"

Evander laughed. "Fuck no. It's as risky as you make it."

"Ah, you intrigue me, Evander." Qwen stroked his chin with a long finger. "Inside information, undoubtedly."

"You wound me." Evander said with a smirk as he mused inwardly about his 'inside information'. He took out a parchment from the pile he had just created. "Here is a list of stocks I wish for you to invest in on my behalf. I am very certain that within the next decade, they will yield high returns."

"I believe – I can accomplish what you need and what you want." Qwen said slowly and deliberately. He then said with great amusement. "You are very clever – betting in sums of hundreds to the low thousands – it's a relatively small sum to lose for big-game bookkeepers down here. No goblin will admit that they lost a relatively small sum to another, especially a human, but they will be up to their arms in anger if you try taking away several thousand of their galleons."

Evander grinned. "I know – I would prefer if you collect the money on my behalf. Goblins are keener to give their money away to another goblin than a human."

Qwen snorted. "You are preposterous – if they could, Goblins would take and never give money to anyone."

"But, yet, I don't think money is everything to everyone, even amongst _goblinfolk_ – take you for instance." Evander said thoughtfully.

"I am not a proper Goblin. I would be the first to admit that." Qwen laughed, "A proper Goblin would have never agreed to see you; but your letter was too interesting. But, anyways, what will be my compensation for being your financial lackey?"

"I drew up a contract. I think you should find the terms... very agreeable." Evander said. He fished out a parchment from the pile and pushed it over to Qwen. With a practiced eye, Qwen scrutinized Evander's contract, drawn in Goblin style. He looked at it for a long time, before he sighed. He said, "You are very generous, indeed, Evander. I think... our little arrangement will be long and prosperous." He looked up at Evander, "It is rare that wizardkind is kind to the Goblin folk. Curious..." Qwen signed the document with a flourish. He now had power over Evander's assets, and Evander was now legally forced to pay out for Qwen's services. "You won't regret choosing me."

Evander looked at his old friend from another time carefully. "No, I don't think I will."

* * *

Evander looked out an open window. This particular window was on the second storey of an ordinary suburban house in a rather ordinary neighbourhood. He rested his hands on the varnished wooden windowsill. The backyard of the house consisted of a downhill and was closed off by wooden fence. Beyond the fence was the neighbourhood park. He could see kids fooling around on the playground within it.

_The days of Harry-Hunting were over..._

He sighed. He was thinking of humbler days. The days of the cupboard under the stairs. Those thoughts were inevitable, really.

He turned his attention to the room. It was whitewashed, had a really dusty wooden floor, an old fashioned mahogany table and a lamp that had seen better days. The furniture had come with the house; the former occupant had passed without leaving any known relatives behind.

It was a sad thought. He wondered about the life he had lived. Teddy would get everything, he had seen to that. That dear boy was the closest thing to a son he had.

But how did space and time work? Evander had no clue. Was there only one reality? Or, had the time-travel obliterated everything that he once knew?

But, there must be some clue on how all of this happened. Evander thought for the umpteenth time. People don't suddenly get sucked back in time. No. Was it really his fault? It would be egotistical to say yes, but he had been playing with things that Hermione had told him time and time again to be careful after realizing that getting him to stop was futile. Or, maybe – it was someone else?

He felt a rise of anger. Evander stood up straight and took a few deep breaths. If it was his own doing, then he was perfectly willing to accept the consequences – but if it were –

No, there wasn't any use getting worked up over it. He had no proof. And that was that.

The room was the second largest of the three bedrooms. Felix and he had insisted that Severus ought to take the master bedroom. There was a living and dining space downstairs with a well-stocked Muggle kitchen, and most importantly, the basement was large enough for a Potions' operation without the expansion charms. Those were a pain in the arse to do. The closing date for the house wasn't until the week after, but Evander already had plans for wards, how to hook the fireplaces in the house to the _Floo_ illegally (he didn't need the additional Ministry surveillance and monthly fees) and what to do with his room. He would bring the dragon here – after he had fireproofed everything.

Yes, this room would do. It would be their nest away from Dumbledore and everyone else, but yet –

"Evander!"

It was Severus. His name was said in a manner that would signify that the older man was either perplexed or annoyed with a dunderhead. Evander thought hard for a moment – he hadn't done anything today that justified that tone of voice that Severus would know of recently.

Evander turned around when he heard footsteps towards his room.

"Yes, Severus?" He asked.

"Did you want to buy this house to keep an eye out on your miserable excuses for relatives?" Severus asked.

_Oh right_. "Maybe," Evander deadpanned. He had been hoping Severus wouldn't have had noticed. But, Severus wasn't that dense. He had deliberately manipulated things so that the house on Magnolia Crescent, Little Whinging, Surrey was the last house they saw out of an innumerable other houses that they had seen today.

"You aren't going to do something stupid are you?" Severus looked at him suspiciously.

Evander suddenly grinned. "No. I have no plans in that department at the moment." Well, maybe he could go and make Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's lives a little bit... more difficult, now that Severus brought it up. He had absolutely no qualms in this life to take the lower, less moral route.

"I thought the plan was to get away from it all?" Severus was now looking amused.

"Sometimes, it's better to hide in plain sight, you know." Evander said rather philosophically, "Plus, Felix is going to set up an _Apparition_ point right on the deck, next to the sliding doors that lead into the basement, so we don't have to use the front door. And, I think it's better if I keep an eye out during the summers. They tend to get a little... exciting sometimes..."

Severus merely arched an eyebrow before turning to head downstairs.

* * *

The lofty Ravenclaw Tower was one of Evander's favourite hangouts. After the trio had returned to Hogwarts for dinner from their new piece of real estate, Evander had decided to call it a day and hide up here, instead of going downstairs to brew with Felix and Severus. He sat in a plushy earth coloured armchair which was overlooked by an enormous three-storey tall stained glass window. The sun had long gone down, and the space was illuminated by torches with blue-white flame and held by carved eagles. A bronze coloured flame burned merrily in the fireplace nearby. The large statue of Rowena Ravenclaw held a staff, where a flame burned at its tip.

He sat across the room from the study tables, which were devoid of people doing homework. It was Saturday; the homework rush wouldn't begin until tomorrow (evening!). Games of chess and Gobstones had broken out, while a circle of sixth and seventh year Ravenclaws had brought out an animated board of _Risk_. You wouldn't catch anyone playing Exploding Snap here.

Evander had a sketchpad which was supported by his legs. He was drawing a runic ward from memory – he had set up these wards up many times, including for his own place. He had removed the _Fidelius_ Charm from 12 Grimmauld Place post-Voldemort. The _Fidelius_ had so many pitfalls – instead the runic enchantments allowed the Master of the house to decide who could and couldn't come in based on biological and magical signatures. It was this that Evander had decided to use; plus if he had a party, he would just lift this ward completely for the duration of the party – it made life easy. No relying on Secret Keepers, no fuss, no mess.

Of course, the ward had its own downfalls – Evander could think of several, but he hoped that the ward would be novel enough for this time to keep out trouble.

He idly twirled the quill in his fingers.

As Evander's mind wondered, a raven-haired Ravenclaw girl took the plush chair across from Evander. It was Cho. She looked rather unsure of how to approach him. Evander continued scribbling down runes, occasionally erasing one now and then. It had been years since he had last thought of Cho Chang. Her straight jet-black hair was tied back in a ponytail. She was attractive (just as he recalled). Being a Saturday, she was wearing a nice set of dark red robes with an oriental flavour. Evander's brain was struggling to remember her other attributes: loyal to a fault, a brilliant flyer and a good student in Ravenclaw standards. Also, that she didn't have the greatest judgement when it came to friends. He hardly remembered the details of their relationship in his Fifth year. (But whatever... he had other things to worry about back then.)

"Can I help you?" Evander finally sat up. He pulled at the sleeves of his charcoal grey shirt.

"I just wanted to ask." Cho said slowly, "If you were going to try out for Seeker next year."

"Why?" Evander asked. He knew perfectly why.

"Because that is my old position," Cho stated. "Roger has been talking about you to any Quidditch fanatic that would listen to him."

"Probably," Evander said in a non-committal manner. "I enjoy the sport. As does Felix."

Cho lapsed into silence. Evander was wondering if Cho had been expecting a different answer from him.

"You seem so flippant about things." Cho finally remarked. "It seems so..." She then said. "Different... but yet..."

Evander shrugged. He looked back down on his runes and continued writing with his quill, leaving Cho to whatever trail of thought she was thinking through. His left hand fumbled to one of his jean pockets and touched the scrap of parchment (it was a receipt) that Tonks had given him earlier in the day. The first live-through of his life had been pretty complicated involving girls – and his second chance as Evander seemed equally as perplexing. He was definitely going to write to Tonks though. It seemed like a fun thing to do. He highly doubted anything would come out of it. Frankly, he wasn't interested in being tied down at any point in the foreseeable future (it was a ludicrous thought). But, he was up for fun. Regardless, he missed her and Teddy – very much. Teddy had been tarred with the same brush as Tonks, but definitely had Remus' more serious side as well (although that came out very rarely).

Cho stood up, and seemed to gaze at Evander for a few long seconds before she suddenly said rather impulsively, "Challenge you to a Seeker's duel – tomorrow morning."

"Very well," Evander agreed. He had been looking for an excuse to fly again as the last time he flew on a broom was that day he almost crashed into the stands. How he needed his flying fix...

Felix was going to kill him (again).

There was a slight triumphant smile on Cho's face as she strode away from Evander's corner.

* * *

Evander was at the Quidditch Pitch before the sun had even risen. He had his broom in hand. Carefully he mounted the broom. Ever since the dragon had been in his possession, in her unconscious state, he hadn't felt any strange symptoms of disorientation or nausea. It would be safe to fly.

With a powerful kick, he accelerated several storeys into the air and proceeded to fly around the periphery of the Quidditch pitch. Despite the darkness, Evander could see it was going to be a very cloudy day. It was also very cold. The wind tore at his uncovered face and hair.

It wasn't long when flickers of the sun appeared along the horizon, and Evander watched the sun rise from his broomstick.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Evander heard Cho's voice.

"Yeah," Evander replied. "I see it almost every day. I am an early-bird."

"I am usually down here at the pitch at dawn." Cho said. "Practicing... practice makes perfect."

Evander chuckled. "Practice makes near perfect. There's always something to work on, no matter how good you are or even... who you are."

"You ready?" Cho had something clenched in a fist. Like Evander, she was wearing a pair of gloves (likely dragonhide).

"Always," Evander replied back. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He roared in his best impression of Mad-Eye as Cho released the snitch.

Evander got a head start as Cho was caught up in hysterics for a moment. But the chase was on. Evander had the faster broom, but Cho was definitely an excellent flyer. She tried aerobatic corkscrews and rolls in an attempt to confuse and outfly Evander, but he was having none of that. He kept in pace with her, with an eye always seeking for the elusive nimble snitch. The fluttering golden ball came into view moments later and Evander made a dive for it as did Cho. He snatched the ball out of the air just as Cho reached for it and grabbed Evander's hand instead.

"I would have gotten it if you didn't make me laugh." Cho exclaimed, but there was a humorous glint in her brown eyes.

"Really," Evander rolled his eyes. "I recall you were the one who asked if I was ready."

"You almost made me forget myself – it sounded so much like Mad-Eye." She released Evander's hand as Evander said, "Fine, let's see you prove it. Three... Two... One... GO!"

Evander gave Cho a second of a head start before he tore after the Snitch. Cho clearly changed tactics this time, choosing to follow Evander's moves and fly as cleanly as possible without the fancy maneouvers of the previous round. The chase continued on for several minutes before Evander immediately plummeted from the sky in a Wronski Feint; Cho noticed too late that Evander wasn't bluffing. Evander triumphantly had the snitch in hand as he zoomed straight back towards her.

They had four more rounds; two Evander won, one that was close (but Evander got that one too) and he purposefully let her win the last one. It wasn't too obvious, but Cho simply laughed resignedly when she finally caught the snitch. "You let me have that one."

"No I didn't." Evander said with a poker face.

"I will try out as Chaser next year." Cho conceded. "Roger was right."

"And also a reserve Seeker," Evander added.

Cho had a sudden thought, "You should play Krum. That would be something worth seeing."

"I am good. But not THAT good," Evander protested as they both started to head towards the ground. (Although, a snitch-duel with Viktor was something Evander wasn't going to turn down if offered.)

"Breakfast?" Cho asked. "I am starving."

"I have no objections." Evander replied. They walked and bantered towards the Great Hall, where breakfast awaited them.

* * *

"You didn't tell me that Malfoy was working for you guys!" Hermione exclaimed as they headed for Severus' laboratory in the dungeons after breakfast.

Evander said rather expressionlessly, "I didn't think it was an important topic to bring up." He watched Hermione roll her eyes. "Is there a problem? I mean, he's pretty good at brewing... Draco, that is."

Hermione shook her head. "No, no. I was just surprised. That's all. I don't think you told him about Neville and I either."

"Like I said, I thought it wasn't an important topic to bring up." Evander said passively. Secretly, he was very amused, "So what happened yesterday when we were gone?"

"Neville and I went down together. We saw him doing some sort of rune work downstairs, and he seemed pretty into it so we left him alone. Neville was taking inventory of Severus' plants, as you asked him to do, and I was collecting all the materials and ingredients for the Potions that you had told me to brew the day before. I think it took at least ten minutes for Malfoy to realize that he wasn't alone. He dropped a full cauldron on the floor." Hermione explained. "It was unexpectedly loud and both of us jumped. Neville noticed what happened before I did – he couldn't help himself and started laughing. I, of course, quickly vanished Malfoy's spilt Potion (as Professor Snape would have done) and told him that he should probably get a change of robes."

"Draco wouldn't be too happy with that." Evander said, shaking his head.

"No, he wasn't." Hermione agreed. "He was furious. He asked us what we were doing in his godfather's laboratory, to which we said that Evander hired us. And then he told me that he was perfectly capable of cleaning up his own mess –" Hermione gave Evander a very skeptical look, "And, then he said 'who in the right mind would hire Neville to work in a Potions lab...' Well, in less polite terms. I told him Neville was here for his excellent Herbology skills – and he had nothing to say to that. He then stormed out of the laboratory and came back about twenty minutes later. He pretty much ignored us for the rest of the day."

"It doesn't seem so terrible." Evander finally remarked.

"No, you are right." Hermione agreed. "His insults were less hurtful than usual."

"I am hoping that you lot would be at least civil to each other." Evander sighed, "It might actually be good for Draco to have some other company besides Severus, Felix and I."

"Are you going to teach me your algorithm to brew multiple Potions at once?" Hermione asked. "The Potions you got me to brew yesterday didn't take long, so I brewed them in separately or two at a time if there was a long simmering period."

"Unfortunately, I have some other things to do." Evander said honestly. "Felix has a lot of Potions to finish for tomorrow and as does Severus."

"It's alright." Hermione replied, slightly disappointed. "I –"

"No, I will ask Draco to teach you." Evander interrupted, "It would be good practice for him – Rue."

They had reached the laboratory door, which swung open at Evander's utterance. Felix was already there, with several cauldrons of varying sizes, and Severus was busy grading essays. Draco was there as well, doing homework. Before Hermione could protest Evander's choice of course...

"Hey, Draco, can you do me a favour?" Evander asked.

Draco turned around, quill still in hand. He looked everywhere but at Hermione. "What do you need?"

"Can you please teach Hermione how to do a three-potion runic stagger? I promised her earlier, but I have some very important errands to run." Evander asked.

"I teach Granger?" Draco looked as if Evander had spoken Martian.

"Yeah," Evander reaffirmed.

Draco looked a bit ill. But, Evander knew that Draco would accept (and would try his best), albeit reluctantly. "Fine."

"Thanks, Draco." Evander beamed, while Hermione simply wondered if the Sorting Hat made a big mistake when putting Evander into Ravenclaw.

Satisfied that he had that out of the way, Evander walked over to Felix. In the background he could hear a rustle of paper as Draco looked for some of his simpler algorithms (Draco could now do a four-Potion-stagger) and Draco drawl, "Well, let's make this quick and painless, Granger."

"Can I have some of your hair, Felix?" Evander asked the busy Potions' Master.

Felix stopped what he was doing and pulled at a short strand of hair. Evander surveyed it critically, "No, I need the hair root too. And more than one piece."

"Why didn't you say so?" Felix said, as he pulled at several. He looked at them first before passing it on to Evander.

Evander ignored Felix's question and carefully placed the hairs in a Ziploc baggie. With a permanent marker, he wrote Felix's name on it. Evander then turned to Severus and asked the Potions' professor for the same samples.

"What are you going to do, Evander? Not Polyjuice, surely?" Severus asked as he gave Evander what he needed.

"Oh, it's of the utmost important. I will show you later." Evander said.

Over at the next bench, Evander could hear Hermione commenting to Draco in regards to Evander's supposedly strange behaviour, "Sometimes, Malfoy, I don't understand Evander at all. Do you think he's going to ask us for our hairs too?"

Draco replied in a whisper, "Personally, Granger, I think he's a bit barmy. But look at Dumbledore and the Dark Lord –"

Evander failed to catch the rest of Draco's sentence. But, if Hermione and Draco were already talking about him behind his back, then he was sure as hell that peace would reign in Severus' laboratory. He was so used to people talking about him, that he didn't care.

Whistling, he left the laboratory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on Dragons and Dreams in the next chapter... I also think that girls are more enamored with Evander than Evander is of them. :P


	18. Miscalculation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about non-existence for the last few years.

Evander was sitting on a hard wooden floor. The room was barren and the walls were recently painted a neutral shade of light brown. Beside him rose a formidable stack of books on dragons, Legilimency and other relevant books. One textbook, _The Wild Mind_ ,sat open on his lap. His attention was focused on the breathing of the majestic she-dragon that was sprawled unconscious on the floor in front of him.

Her breaths came slow and steady. Over time, Evander found his respiration rate matching the tempo of the creature.

It was relaxing. Meditative, really. He allowed himself the luxury to stop thinking – to drift.

It was a while before Evander noticed that he was breathing quicker. There was a sound, almost like groan that seemed to emanate from the body in front of him. This was followed by the twitching of the corners of the dragon's wings, a subtle movement of the head and the wag of her tail. There was another groan – this time from Evander. A slight pounding in his head, indicating the beginning of a developing migraine, had begun as the dragon awoke. The room started to spin. His vision blurred. Evander felt like throwing up.

It was unbearable. Instinctively, Evander summoned his wand from the holster and uttered the incantation of the magic that got him into this pickle the first time around.

" _Legilimens!"_

The discomfort vanished. Evander slipped into the dragon's mind with ease like a second skin. He was met with great feelings of confusion. Again, it took a moment for him to separate out which feelings were his and which were hers. During this time, the dragon had managed to unfurl her wings out and had weakly stood upright. Her confusion grew into agitation when she realized that she was no longer her original size.

_Oh fuck…_ Evander barely managed to suppress a jet of flame that the dragon was indignantly about to spew out. It came out as puffs of smoke. The agitation was quickly developing into anger as the dragon realized how compromised her arsenal of weapons was. Evander struggled with the dragon's desire to burn and lash out everything around her. It was extremely taxing. He did his best to guide her rage away from his currently helpless human body. There was a thump and faint sensation of pain when the dragon's body went through the wall with a large thump.

There was a loud knocking sound that came from somewhere – presumably the door. Evander vaguely heard someone yelling as he wrestled frantically for control over the dragon's flailing limbs and flames.

Knowing that it was not feasible to continue struggling – the dragon had an incredible reserve of strength and stamina that could outlast even him – Evander tried another tactic. He tried injecting a feeling of calm into the anger of the dragon. She thrashed into the wall again in response. Bits and pieces of drywall rained down. There was another crash until Evander had another idea. Recalling the thoughts that Evander had been privy to the last time he possessed the dragon, he fed them to the dragon's mind. Memories of her flying over various terrains while a smaller dark coloured dragon winged beside her. The anger seemed to subside immediately and was replaced by sadness so deep that Evander could not fathom. The dragon dropped herself limply onto the floor and curled up in what seemed to be the equivalent of the fetal position for dragons.

A series of chime-like sounds interrupted Evander's analysis of the dragon's emotions. Someone was frantically lifting the wards that he had placed on the door earlier. Cautiously, he nudged the dragon to lift her head a bit so he had full-view of the door. It took a few minutes before the door swung open, and the familiar shape of Felix emerged. It was strange, looking at his friend from the vantage of the shrunken dragon. The colours of the dragon's superior vision were vivid; for example Evander could appreciate the fine tailoring of Felix's fine charcoal robes, the rich shade of scarlet of the shirt hidden underneath and even the heat radiating off Felix's body. Smell too was enhanced – Evander caught a whiff of Felix's cologne and something indescribable – presumably the smell of human.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?"

Evander followed the path that Felix's eyes had traced – from his unnaturally still human body, the numerous deep scratches all over the wooden flooring, pieces of drywall scattered everywhere and three enormous holes in the wall. Felix's gaze finally landed on the dragon in the far corner of the room.

"Evander?"

Evander watched as Felix walked over to his body still sitting cross-legged on the floor. Felix's gaze vacillated between Evander's still human body and the dragon. There was a concerned look on his face. Evander noted how animated Felix looked compared to his currently vacant body.

"Damn it, Evander!" Felix looked down at Evander's body and shook the shoulders. "You aren't in here?"

Evander found himself wagging the dragon's barbed tail at Felix. Cautiously, he prodded the dragon's mind, indicating that she should get up. The dragon obeyed. Unhappiness and distress still coloured her thoughts, making Evander feel a smidge guilty. Evander guided her now malleable body towards where Felix was standing.

"As reckless as ever…" Felix murmured more to himself as he watched the dragon walk over. "Idiot." There was more fondness in his voice than malice. "Bloody ridiculous."

Evander indicated that the dragon should sit on her haunches next to Felix. She sat down and carefully folded her wings neatly against the sides of her body. Felix let out a sigh as he knelt down to examine the dragon face-to-face. He kept his wand warily trained on the dragon.

"Hello, Evander," Felix said with a mixture of amusement and caution.

A low growl issued from the dragon's throat. Evander willed the dragon to stay put as Felix looked directly at the dragon's eyes. Finally, after a long minute, Felix got up and left the room. A pungent yet fragrant smell filled the room as Felix came back with a metal bucket that Evander had left outside the room earlier. Felix placed the bucket down, near the dragon. Evander suddenly felt himself being propelled towards the bucket – knocking it over. He found himself tasting something rich and delicious, and the blood spilled all over the floor. _Of course, the dragon was hungry._ Evander observed. She hadn't eaten in over a week. The feeding frenzy continued until all the meat chunks were devoured and the blood licked off the floor.

Sated, Evander knew it was time to return to his human body. He guided the dragon to her original position in front of his body and projected himself back. This time, his return back to his human body happened without any obvious mishap. Evander hoped that this second trip would alleviate the damage done prior, but he instinctively knew it could not be this easy.

* * *

The announcement of the Yule Ball taking place on Christmas brought an atmosphere of frenzied excitement into Hogwarts. Evander found himself eschewing the company of his fellow students, avoiding any sort of situation where he was left alone with another student ( _he could see the Yule proposals a kilometer away!)_ and spending his time either in Severus' lab, the Forbidden Forest or in Little Whinging with the Hungarian Horntail.

At this moment, he was in the lab.

"Hannah, I really like you. Would you go to Yule with me?"

Evander shook his head as he listened to Felix experimenting with the innumerable amount of ways one could ask out a girl. He used a pair of scissors to carefully trim unicorn hairs to an exact length and dropped them into the cauldron in front of him.

"Please go to Yule with me? Hannah?"

A small puff of pink smoke rose up from one of Evander's cauldrons. Quickly, Evander captured the gas in a flask. With a practiced motion, he turned the flask right-side up and added a trace amount of king cobra venom with a dropper and some crushed blueberries. He swirled the flask. There was a crackling sound and the contents of the flask turned into a rich bronze liquid. With a flourish, Evander poured the contents of the flask into a cauldron of Sage's Potion _(for atherosclerotic lesions in the blood vessel)_. The resulting light yellow mixture bubbled merrily in its tiny silver cauldron.

"Go to Yule with me?"

Evander was in the process of carefully pouring his yellow Potion in a specific crystal flask when he heard someone stand up from their stool with unnecessary violence. A textbook was slammed shut. Draco's voice conveyed great annoyance.

"For Merlin's sakes, Felix – just go ask her out already! I can't take another bloody minute of this anymore! You know what…" Draco paused as if he had a brilliant idea, "I might as well go ask her for you!"

Draco flounced out of the lab.

Felix looked at Evander with a mixture of bewilderment and horror before bellowing, "Oi, Draco come back here!"

Evander sighed when he heard Felix run out after Draco. He walked over to Felix's bench. He moved the cauldron containing the Draught of Peace to his own bench as it was in a delicate stage of brewing and placed a stasis charm on two other cauldrons.

* * *

The sky was clear, the stars innumerable and the winter chill seeped deeply into Evander's bones as he piloted his Firebolt with finesse high above the English countryside. Next to him flew Tonks, sitting serenely on her Comet 260. Evander observed that Tonks' grace on a broom was inversely proportional to how graceful she moved on the ground. To be fair, Evander knew about that before this evening – he knew that Tonks loved flying. They had been flying towards nowhere in particular for an hour now. For the most part, they flew in silence.

"You know, Evan – this was not what I was expecting from some bloke I picked up from a notorious Goblin bar." Tonks whispered in Evander's ear.

Evander was unflappable. "I am full of surprises."

"Take me somewhere interesting." Tonks said after a lull.

"Like where? A seedy alleyway in Knockturn Alley?" Evander asked amusedly.

Tonks made a face. "That sounds like work."

"Well, not all of us are Aurors," Evander grinned mischievously, "Some of us may go there for things other than business."

Tonks shrugged. Evander could sense a conflict between duty and a desire to let loose.

"I am off the clock anyways." Tonks said carefully. "But I would rather not break any laws."

"If you wanted something tame, I am probably the wrong bloke for that." Evander was honest. "Definitely not someone you should be seeing." Evander looked at Tonks carefully. Based on what he observed over the first meeting and the parchments they had exchanged after, Tonks was not looking for safe – she was looking for danger. Even her pink hair today was not her usual vibrant shade; there were dark undertones in it. "But I can definitely take you somewhere _interesting_." Evander smirked, putting an emphasis on the last word.

"Show me then." Tonks threw out impulsively, as if she was afraid that she would chicken out if she kept thinking.

When they reached the ground, Evander took her hand and Disapparated without a sound.

* * *

Felix felt like a hopeless idiot.

It was a handful of days since he had stopped Draco from carrying out his so-called brilliant idea. Although, as the seconds and minutes ticked by, asking by proxy was sounding more like an outstanding idea. _Circe, he was no better than a lovesick teenager._ He laughed to himself and then amended his thought – _he is a lovesick teenager_.

_I am such a coward._ Felix was disgusted with himself. He wanted to punch something, break something – do something self-destructive. He settled for clenching his fist and punching the solid wood of the library table in front of him.

He winced. Evander would undoubtedly probably have a few choice things to say about his state. _That bloody sod is probably having a fantastic time on his date_. Felix growled, appalled at how far he had managed to sink in a span of a few measly minutes. _How the fuck did he manage to convince Hannah to give him a chance in his past life?_

Oh, it was a bad evening if he was already on this stage of self-pity.

He jumped when he felt a light touch at his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Hannah standing beside him. Her fingers lingered at the spot she had initially touched. The spot burned pleasantly.

Felix's heart ached.

"Hi," Felix's mouth went dry.

"Hi," Hannah smiled.

"Go to Yule with me?" It came out in a rush.

Felix wanted to smack his head. This was nothing like how he had envisioned this moment.

There was surprised look on Hannah's face. Suddenly he felt arms wrap around his chest – Hannah was hugging him tightly from behind.

"Yes!" She whispered in his ear.

Felix could feel Hannah's face brushing against his cheek. It was suddenly too warm in the room. He unconsciously reached out and played with a strand of Hannah's hair that was touching his body.

_Merlin, I love you._ Felix thought. He turned his head slightly and pressed a gentle kiss on Hannah's cheek. He watched as she blushed prettily, his mind committing every minute detail to memory. _If there is a deity out there, please give me more time with her this time – please._ Felix prayed fervently.

He could sit here forever.

"Did you have dinner yet?" Hannah carefully broke the moment.

Felix shook his head. His stomach growled. Somehow he had completely forgotten about dinner.

"Kitchens?" Hannah was already pulling him up.

Recovering some composure, Felix stood up and efficiently packed up his belongings. "Is this a date, Ms. Abbott?" He asked suavely.

"I am very afraid so, Mr. Wedgewood," Hannah had a glint of mischief as she pronounced solemnly, "Come on, let's go!"

* * *

Evander felt his feet hit the floor. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was thick swirling fog. The air was humid, but the overall atmosphere was unwelcoming. He could vaguely make out the features of Tonks, whose hand he was still holding. It had been so long since he had last been here – before he became Head Auror.

"Where are we?" Tonks whispered, "It doesn't look friendly, doesn't it?"

"A place," Evander smiled wryly.

It had taken him a few days to track the Apparition coordinates for this elusive location. Evander had been aiming to visit for a while now for information. Regulars who came here – an interesting assortment of wizards, witches, vampires, werewolves, goblins and so on and so forth – usually referred to the venue as the 'place' or something vaguely along those lines. The place was under a variation of the Fidelius Charm, and its address changed frequently. Word of mouth, side-along Apparition, clues in magazines, newspapers and other periodicals were how the information regarding the whereabouts of the 'place' was spread to interested parties.

"Is this place dangerous?" Tonks asked as Evander led her down the foggy passageway.

"It can be." Evander admitted. "The clientele can be quite unpredictable."

The density of the fog lightened the further they ventured. Colourful paper lanterns with delicate patterns cut into them provided interplay of colour, light and shadows along the tiled walls. A doorway framed in worn stone blocks appeared at the end of the passageway. A black cloth that has seen better days hung from the blocks, obscuring what lay ahead. It fluttered, despite there being no breeze.

"They call that the Veil." Evander explained with the air of a tour guide. "Quite morbid, actually."

They stopped right before the cloth. It was dead silent.

"Do we get to come back?" Tonks gave Evander a worried look.

Evander realized that Tonks was nervous. "Not through here – there are other exits. It is, after all, supposed to be a one way trip."

He lifted the Veil. The silence was immediately broken. There were all sorts of noises – chatter, laughter, a scream – issued from beyond. Everything looked blurry beyond the Veil, but Evander knew that was the result of charm work.

"I guess I will go first." Evander ducked under the cloth he had lifted up.

The scenery in front of him snapped into focus. The space was large – enormous columns derived from mythology supported and framed the space and strange abstractly designed chandeliers whose lights changed wavelength every few seconds or so threw bizarre patterns of coloured light into the area. Groups of humans and creatures milled around, mostly concentrated around the centre of the room, where a ring was set up. In the ring were two birds that were roughly the size of a short human being. They stood on two scaly legs and were for the most part black feathered. One had a rich purple feathery crown, while the other boasted a headdress of pink and green feathers. The two birds circled warily around each other. One hissed and there was suddenly a flurry of activity as the purple one viciously charged. The crowd erupted in yells, cheers and goads as the fight commenced. Evander noticed a tall blond man a few meters away from him casually lean towards another bloke who was entranced with the fight in front of him. A vampire, Evander noted, as the blond bent down to casually brush his fangs to drain blood. The place was a vampire feeding ground if one was not careful.

"Weird place this is." Tonks finally said as the pink and green bird knocked down the purple one, "And I am pretty sure that cassowary-fighting is illegal here in England."

Evander shrugged, "This place is a little bit lawless." He knew that this place started operating a year or two ago. And he also knew that it took the Ministry an embarrassingly long while to learn about its existence. It was allowed to continue existing because it was a good place for Aurors to gather information in one kind of difficult to reach spot. The DMLE turned a blind eye to things like exotic animal fighting, provided that no one actually got killed. There was a debate every year about imposing more restrictions on the place, and the owners threatened to move the place to another country in response.

"A drink?" Evander indicated to a discreet looking bar.

Tonks nodded, allowing herself to be led by Evander. Evander ordered a tumbler of Firewhiskey and a strange cocktail which matched Tonks' current hair colour. Felix was going to kill him for indulging, Evander mused as he handed Tonks the cocktail.

As they strolled around, Evander gave everyone he walked by a cursory appraisal while sipping his Firewhiskey nonchalantly. He noted which individuals had Occlumency shields. There was no one he recognized. When he used to visit back in the day, he always had contacts that provided him with interesting morsels of information. This was like going in blind – Evander observed.

"The Dark Lord returns…" Evander heard Tonks mutter.

Startled, Evander looked at a betting board that Tonks had been looking at. At the top of the animated board was written 'The Dark Lord Returns' with the odds written beside it. Beneath were bets for everything from Quidditch, the Premier League, the Triwizard and so on and so forth.

"People bet on this crap?" Tonks asked Evander.

"Apparently so." Evander frowned. He wasn't frowning at the bets, but rather at a man that was standing near one of the bookies stationed beneath the large board. He looked familiar, and there was something totally wrong about the scene. The man was tall and slender, dressed in robes of navy blue and his long dark hair was tied back. He had formidable Occlumency shields. He had high cheekbones, a prominent pointed nose and bright green eyes. Evander had never met the man before, but he knew about his reputation and had seen his picture connected to various crimes happening all over Wizarding Europe. _A dangerous man._ Evander classified.

And then he realized what was wrong. He was in 1994. The man was around Evander's age. So why was the man here out of all places looking like his grown up self?

The man – his real name was Augustus Dawson when not operating under aliases – looked up into Evander's eyes. There was an itchy sensation that Evander quickly realized was a _Legilimency_ attempt. He instinctively flung it back and found himself crashing into a mishmash of thoughts that weren't his. There were quick images – runic scribbles, random faces and places – before Evander was unceremoniously ejected from the man's mind. Evander was able to pick out a few emotions as well – anger and embarrassment. There was actually fear in that mix too. The man had clearly let down his guard after easily letting himself into other peoples' minds – an amateur mistake. He wondered how he should play his cards in this situation.

His wand hand twitched. He decided on a course of action.

"Really, you should get that nasty snooping habit of yours under control." Evander walked closer to Augustus, putting on his best predatory look. "Most people here are easy fish, but you should never let your guard down." If Evander's voice was a weapon, the man would have been flayed to pieces.

"A miscalculation," Augustus maintained a mask of calm, but Evander could see through it. "My sincere apologies." There was an insincere smile.

"I see that you have been keeping the bookies quite busy." Evander disregarded the man's apologies, intent on digging for information.

"Ah yes, I think it's a good year for the Blackburn Rovers – I always had a soft spot for Muggle sports." Augustus was trying to dig his way out of trouble.

"Oh, I didn't mean that bet." Evander acted disappointed, "I meant of course, the one that is most popular tonight." He gave a pointed look at the top of the board.

There was an impressive display of dramatics from Augustus' face. But he settled for cold and haughty after cycling through uncertainty and bewilderment. "The Dark Lord will return. You can definitely put your galleons on that!"

Without another word, he strode out arrogantly towards one of the concealed exits.

"Who was that?" Tonks asked Evander after the man had left, "Sounds like a nutter!"

"Someone I was not expecting to find." Evander said carefully. _He and Felix were going to have to change plans. There was clearly more people involved in these time-travel shenanigans than he had anticipated._ And next time, Augustus would not be so careless.

And another thing, what or who was the infamous Augustus Dawson afraid of?


	19. Chapter 19: Catalyst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comparing notes, some Hannah/Felix fluff, an invitation, Evander/Qwen bond over a Goblin tradition and a rejection; basically the week before Yule

**Chapter 19: Catalyst**

"You went on a what?" Severus was flummoxed.

"Oh Severus, don't be deliberately obtuse." Evander grinned in amusement, very much enjoying the expressive nuances of Severus' face, "I went on a date. With Nymphadora Tonks."

Severus groaned. He sounded like he was beginning to have a severe migraine. "So I am to understand that you went to a sketchy nightclub with an Auror who is seven years your senior with the intent of potential romantic interest."

Felix smirked, "I believe that's what a typical date is like, Severus."

Severus glared in Felix's direction. Evander caught Felix's gaze and they both failed to suppress their laughter. It took a while for the mirth to subside.

"Anyways, can we get to the point?" Evander recovered his powers of vocalization first. "I would not have mentioned anything about my date unless something critical came up." Evander picked up a photograph from the writing table they were standing in front of. He pinned the picture into the centre of a large blank corkboard hung on the wall in front of them.

"Merlin," Felix scrutinized the animated rendering of Augustus Dawson that Evander had spent over an hour creating from his Pensieve memories. "Is that Dawson? Fuck, what is that posh wanker doing here?"

"No clue," Evander replied thoughtfully, "But I'd imagine he's up to no good."

"I'd say." Felix agreed quickly, "Can I see the actual memory?"

Evander turned his attention to his Pensieve. It was a simple bowl carved out of stone. Runes were engraved on its exterior. He summoned his wand and carefully pulled out a strand of memory and placed into a smaller stone bowl. He pushed the bowl towards Felix.

"Knock yourselves out." Evander turned to leave the room.

He made a beeline for his room at their house in Little Whinging. Buying the house, Evander thought, was probably the wisest investment that they had made. Besides being a sound property investment, it was a safe haven where they could scheme safely; a hideout of sorts. Evander had spent hours designing the runic wards that safeguarded the house – he had used the DNA extracted from the hairs obtained from himself, Felix and Severus as a base for the wards.

He opened the door to his room by turning the knob and placing his hand at the centre of the door, where a runic triangle flashed red. With Felix's and Severus's help over the previous weekend, he had safely managed to magically enlarge the interior by extending the width, length and height. The inside resembled a forest, not unlike the ones that Evander had seen in the Horntail's memory. The ground was earth and forest debris, the mix of beech, oak and birch trees rose at various heights and at the far side of the room there was a rocky outcrop which served as a nesting area for the Horntail. If he had some spare time, Evander was considering the creation of a pond or a river. It wasn't the greatest of enchantments – considering how busy they all were – but Evander felt it was unfair to leave the dragon in a non-stimulating environment. Of course, everything was 'dragon-proofed', and he was thinking about how to get live animals as a food source for the dragon.

Evander whistled - three notes increasing in pitch in irregular intervals. There was rattling of branches and the swooping noise of an acrobatic dragon as she winged towards Evander. As she approached, Evander entered her mind. He immediately felt the excitement of flight as the magnificent dragon ascended, her sensitive wingtips occasionally brushing against prickly branches. She crested to the top of trees; she dipped down so low that her claws dragged across the earth. It was joyous: complete ecstasy. She climbed again – this time to the ceiling and she allowed herself to free fall. Evander could feel his heart stop during those precious seconds as her body tumbled to the ground. At the last second, she pulled out and glided effortlessly to her perch on top of her rock pile. A dragon's version of the Wronski Feint – Evander acknowledged. _Incredible!_

He rested with the dragon on the outcrop for a few minutes. The Horntail thought of nothing in particular, and was quite happy to sit idly without being chained up. Almost every day, since the awakening of the Horntail, Evander would spend time with the dragon. He would slip into her mind and observe, feel and see what she experienced without trying to control or force her like he had done. It was easy to forget about who he was when swamped with all the stimuli, memories and feelings of the Horntail. It was dangerous; there were many a tale that Evander had read in his research of witches and wizards attempting to possess magical and mundane creatures – they would get confused about who they were and become lost within. And Evander could understand; it was an escape – a fantasy, like taking illicit substances but with the imperative difference that the experience was real.

The Horntail turned her head to lick her scales. Evander caught sight of a large blue rune that he had painted on the pale trunk of a birch tree in sparkling blue. He slipped out of the dragon and back to his human body. The rune was the symbol for the word 'remember', and Evander used it to ensure that he did not forget to vacate his host at some point.

The transition from the dragon to human and human to dragon felt more and more natural with repetition. Evander was positive that there was some sort of a rapport that he had forged with the Horntail; for one thing, she no longer had the desire to kill him on sight.

Evander left the room, carefully shutting the simple wooden door behind him. The runes shimmered into being again, before fading to nothing. He strode across the empty wooden hallway – the only décor being a small goblin wall-hanging that Evander had gotten as a gift from Qwen after their first encounter.

"Evander?" Felix called out. "I think I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Evander asked as he re-entered the room. He noted some distress in Felix's demeanour, from the way he stood and how he fidgeted with the sleeves of his crisp white shirt.

"It's the runes." Felix said, "The ones you saw in Dawson's mind. There's a construct that looked familiar, and I just realized now that I saw it in a dream I had awhile back."

"A dream?" Evander was puzzled. From his experiences, dreams with any sort of real life significance only spelt trouble. "Can you reproduce it?"

"It would be very crude." Felix looked disappointed with himself. "It's been several weeks since… and I didn't think it was important enough to save it in a Pensieve – hell, I don't even have a Pensieve."

Evander sighed as Felix pulled out his wand to retrieve the pertinent memory. The problem with memories not stored in a Pensieve was that they decayed; such was the nature of all memories. He would have to procure Felix a Pensieve as soon as possible.

"I mean it wasn't even a dream – it was a bloody nightmare." Felix continued, looking very disappointed with himself. He added the memory to the stone bowl that Evander had used to share his memories earlier. "Fuck, I am sorry Evander – Hogwarts is making me soft."

Evander laid a hand on Felix's shoulder. It was not just Felix who had gotten too comfortable to their new routines. "Don't be so bloody hard on yourself. Let's see this nightmare then."

* * *

 

" _Expecto_ _Patronum_!"

Felix watched as Hannah scrunched up her face in concentration, swirling her wand in deliberate circles. Her whole body was tense. A wisp of grey smoke emitted from the end of her wand. She had been trying for well over twenty minutes (excluding the session they had yesterday), and there was sweat dripping from her forehead.

"This is not working, Felix." Hannah looked dejectedly at her now-boyfriend. "It's hopeless…"

Felix sighed as he reached for a soft handkerchief that the Room of Requirement had kindly provided. He tenderly wiped the sweat off her forehead. All he could bloody well think about was his conversation with Evander the night before – that there was at least one more person who had time travelled with them. And it was very unlikely that their interests would align with his or Evander's. If that damned dream held any shred of reality, it could be likely that Hannah's death had played a big role in the sophisticated magic that had brought them back here – well at least it was one of the hypotheses that Evander had come up with. The person who murdered her (Rookwood?) could be here – and Felix felt an urgent need to teach Hannah how to protect herself. He had decided to start with the Patronus Charm, so that he could teach Hannah how to send quick messages in case she ever needed help.

"Let's take a break." Felix suggested. He knew that Hannah was tiring and trying to force a Patronus through a wand was not the way to do it. "It's difficult stuff, producing a corporeal Patronus. Well beyond NEWT – but I think you can do it. You are brilliant."

"I… am brilliant?" Hannah whispered cautiously.

Felix looked into her vulnerable eyes, mesmerized by the shade of brown. He could see gold flecks in them. He gave a tiny nod, "You are brilliant. I know it. And you should know it too."

Felix heard Hannah take a deep breath. Her arms, strong from regular Quidditch practice, gripped him tightly in a hug. Felix gently placed his arms around her. He breathed in, inhaling the subtle citrus notes of the shampoo she preferred and the distinct aroma of the ink she drew with contrasting with her sweat. It smelt like the home that he had missed all these years.

They stayed like that for minutes.

"Show me again." Hannah whispered in his ear, her warm breath a caress on Felix's skin. "The Patronus."

They disentangled their limbs and Felix pulled his wand from his holster. He held up his wand and started a circular movement with his wrist. All of his memories with Hannah present and future, flashed in his mind, enveloping his body with a sense of peace that he hadn't felt for what felt like an eternity. He incanted, " _Expecto Patronum_."

A silvery mist shot out of his wand like a bullet and coalesced into the familiar shape of a falcon. It flapped its wings, soared around and Felix consciously directed it to fly towards them. It alighted on Hannah's arm. It looked curiously between Felix and Hannah.

"Think happy thoughts – keep your body loose… I know the textbook I showed you earlier emphasized on the circular rotation but it's not really that important." Felix instructed, as Hannah moved her free hand to stroke the silvery falcon.

The Patronus was not made out of solid matter, but it didn't seem to matter as the falcon gave a fond nudge to its master's girlfriend. The falcon flitted off Hannah's arm and moved to her non-wand arm's shoulder.

"The falcon is still here." Hannah looked amused. "I've never seen a Patronus last this long. You aren't deliberately keeping it here are you?"

"Me too and no, I am not doing anything different," Felix admitted, giving his Patronus a suspicious look.

The falcon seemed to shake its feathers in impatience.

"Try it again for me, Hannah." Felix suggested, having a vague idea of what his Patronus was waiting for.

Hannah looked at her wand for a long time. She quickly glanced at Felix and the falcon still perching on her left shoulder. She breathed. She gently rotated her wrist.

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

A swirl of silvery strands emerged from her wand. It formed into another falcon. This one was much larger than Felix's. It seemed to gaze at Hannah and then Felix in turn before directing its attention to the original falcon. Felix's falcon flew off Hannah's shoulder. An elegant series of manoeuvres including elegant loops, swift changes in directions and finally a bow was executed in front of Hannah's falcon. The two falcons then flew off together and vanished.

"That, I have never seen before." Felix looked bemusedly at where their Patronuses disappeared.

If he was correct in deducing what that display was about, it was safe to say that his Patronus had smoother moves than he did.

* * *

"Evander," Severus' voice made Evander look up from the cauldrons he was slaving over.

"Yes, Severus?"

Evander sat up on his stool from his original slouched position. He smoothed the creases of his jeans with his palm before looking up at Severus' face.

Severus paused for a second, as if he didn't quite know how to proceed. Evander held his gaze, his fingers drumming an irregular rhythm impatiently against the soft fabric of his Hogwarts robes.

"We've been invited to Malfoy Manor for dinner next Saturday – a premature celebration of Christmas as the Yule Ball has monopolized the actual date."

Evander shot a confused look at Severus. Aside from tailing Lucius at Diagon, he has had no encounters with Draco's parents.

"Apparently Draco has been writing about you to his mother." Severus drawled an explanation.

"Has he?" Evander frowned. He wondered what specifically Draco had been writing. There was no way he would have mentioned about that little charming trip to the Forbidden Forest a while back. That would not be like Draco.

Severus seemed to be able to read his train of thought. "Nothing heinous; Narcissa wishes to meet the person who has made such a sudden impact on Draco's life choices."

"Ah." Evander was silent again, thinking of ways he could turn this opportunity to his advantage. "Who is coming?"

"Us, Draco – Lucius won't be there – he's on a business trip abroad." Severus informed.

"Rather intimate affair…" Evander offered before turning back to his brewing.

"Quite." Severus nodded before vacating Evander's bench space.

* * *

As soon as class had ended, Evander slipped down to the Underground. He wondered around the labyrinth of tunnels, deep in thought – puzzling over what he knew and what he wished he knew. The familiar urgency to find out – a trait that both served him well as an Auror and poorly in terms of getting himself involved in tricky situations such as the dragon coursed through his body. He had two pieces of evidence – Dawson's grown up presence in this present and Felix's strange dream – not to mention the post-it note memento that served to affirm that this situation – no matter how bizarre was indeed real. He could no longer assume that events from the past he had lived through were going to happen. It was a mystery – a new game that he would have to master. A new plot with potentially new players. And he would be lying if he didn't say the situation excited him – this was what he lived for, after all.

His feet brought him to Qwen's humble abode. Instead of letting the doorknocker fall thrice as he had done the previous time, he settled for two crisp raps with his fist. The former was polite in Goblin etiquette; the latter was informal – maybe even bordering on rude. It was his usual treatment of Qwen's door in the future.

The door opened quickly, revealing the familiar goblin. He took one shrewd look at Evander and grinned widely.

"Ah, I thought it was you. Come in."

Without hesitation, Evander stepped through. He navigated through the mess of parchment and literature on the way to Qwen's small study.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Qwen was already reaching for his regular secret cabinet concealed in the bookshelves.

Evander smirked. He was feeling devilish – it was this side of him that Qwen got his kicks out of in the future. He schooled his facial features into an innocent expression before pointing at a large leather bound book located at the bottom shelf. "How about we go for that bottle that's concealed behind Paradise Lost right about there?"

Qwen froze for approximately fifteen seconds before he burst out into full belly laughter.

"Oh… Of course you would know. Obvious." He matched Evander's smirk from earlier. With deft movement, he removed the hardcover leather bound book and produced the prize that Evander had been seeking. It was a dirty-coloured translucent bottle containing a potent goblin spirit. Qwen also fished out two shot glasses and with the ease of a bartender, measured out the appropriate quantities as dictated by Goblin drinking tradition.

Evander took a glass and looked at it. The liquid was colourless – and his nose picked up a sweet scent that seemed to burn through all the nerves in his body. His eyes darted towards Qwen, who had picked up his own glass. Evander arched an eyebrow and Qwen merely smiled.

"Prost." Qwen downed the shot as did Evander.

Evander could feel the liquor burn all the way from his tongue, his throat, his esophagus and beyond. It was an intense sensation that was immediately replaced with sense of pleasure that sent shivers down his spine. There was really nothing like it.

They continued for several rounds until they were both in a hazy state of mind. This was a tradition that Evander and Qwen had shared many times in the future. It broke down any barriers that they had, and many amusing yet meaningful philosophical conversations took were had.

"Fuck, it's been awhile." Qwen closed his eyes. The expression on his face was a mixture of bliss and agony. "You are a strange wizard, Evander."

"You are a strange goblin, Qwen," Evander laughed casually, "No one sane would offer that spirit to a wizard – especially one that you've only met once."

"You are intriguing." Qwen admitted, "Everything feels natural with you, Evander – even though my rational mind tells me that it shouldn't be so. I feel as though we have met multiple times before…"

" _You would not believe the truth_." Evander decided to make his move, lapsing into Qwen's native tongue.

Qwen stared at Evander. His blue eyes seemed to be scanning him like a laser. It was unnerving, even for Evander. " _Try me._ _You can say anything right now, and I would believe you._ "

Evander believed him. There was some magical property about those mysterious Goblin spirits that Evander could never quite characterize. " _I come from the year 2013._ "

Qwen's eyes widened, before he nodded. " _Of course – I take it that we were friends then? What was I doing? Was I married?_ "

" _Yes, you were the director of financial interspecies and international relations or something like that and yes_."

" _How dull_." Qwen looked extremely disappointed.

"Even to the part that we were friends?" Evander had laughed first before feigning a deeply wounded countenance.

"No, that would never be dull." Qwen admitted, "Under any circumstance." The latter bit was said firmly.

"Well…" Evander began to say, thinking as carefully as he could under the influence of infernal Goblin spirits, "How would you like to add a little something to your life? Maybe a little adventure, something illicit and dangerous?"

" _Oh, fuck, yes_." Qwen replied with great relish, savouring each syllable. " _You are a terrible influence, Evander Murphy._ "

"That's what you used to say to me all the time." Evander rolled his eyes. This was really starting to feel like old times.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Are you feeling up for a heist?" Evander asked.

Qwen took on a thoughtful expression. "Let me guess, we are going to steal something from _Gringotts_. How predictable. Which vault and what?"

"Lestrange, Helga Hufflepuff's cup." Evander revealed.

"What are you going to do with the cup?" Qwen asked curiously.

"Destroy it." Evander said coldly.

"Ah.." Qwen pulled out a parchment and a text. "Let us brainstorm the ways."

* * *

"Granger, would you go to Yule with me?"

Felix abruptly dropped his molybdenum-vanadium steel hybrid knife from his fingers. The knife clattered onto the floor loudly, narrowly missing his foot. He cursed lightly under his breath. He looked around the room. Neville, who had been meticulously tending to wooden boxes of valuable Potions flora near the fireplace, had also stopped what he was doing and was watching the scene unfurl at Hermione's bench.

"Malfoy…" Hermione voice was a strange mix of confusion, shock… and maybe regret. The last emotion struck Felix as unexpected. "I am sorry… I –"

"There's someone else, isn't there?" Draco sighed – trying to look like he didn't care – like as if Hermione's response hadn't mattered.

"The Weasel?"

Hermione shook her head firmly, "No, and please don't call him that!"

"Evander?" Draco persisted.

"No," Hermione denied. "I don't think he asked –"

Draco's face fell. "Krum?"

Hermione could only nod. There was a confused and pained expression on her face. "He asked first, I am really sorry, Malfoy."

"It's okay." Draco said stiffly. "It's all fine – all fine."

Felix watched as Draco straightened out his robes, picked up his cloak, rearranged his countenance to reflect the trademark ice cold arrogant Malfoy expression (if you could call it an expression) and left the lab.

Felix sighed as he bent down to pick up the knife. It was a good thing it missed his foot – it was the sharpest knife he owned aside from the diamond finished one. As he continued to brew – he was finishing up the last of the potions for St. Mungo's for the week – he heard Hermione pack up her stuff and head out of the lab with a stride that was quicker than her usual pace.

"What was all that about?" Felix voiced his thoughts out loud. He'd never thought that he would be in the same universe where Draco would ask Hermione out.

"I saw that coming," Neville had also resumed his duties.

"I hope you found a date?" Felix changed the topic, while stirring in the dung beetles in his pewter cauldron.

Felix could actually hear Neville smile as he potted a plant, "I am going with Ginny."

There was a comfortable silence in the lab before Neville asked Felix, "Who is Evander going with?"

"I am not sure." Felix mused, "I don't think he actually fancies anyone in particular."

Neville shrugged, "I guess we will find out at Yule."

Felix laughed, "I am sure we will."


	20. Chapter 20: Pieces

**Chapter 20: Pieces**

The finances were in order. Evander, sitting on his stool, stretched his arms out, looking with satisfaction at a complicated looking parchment. The parchment was black in colouration ( _indestructible by most means_ ) and a runic algorithm was written in Evander's hand with his red chalk ( _as powerful as a Muggle Excel spreadsheet_ ). He had inserted numbers from the master logbook to calculate total profit, net profit, expenditures and any other relevant number necessary for the business. Finally, he had then calculated everyone's cut for the last week of term – Severus would divvy up the spoils later to everyone. He would earn the same amount as Felix and Severus – despite his continued protests that he wasn't a licensed Potions Master at any point of his life – while Hermione and Draco would earn depending on what they brewed. Neville was currently earning a regular salary for his work growing plants in both Severus' lab as well as a borrowed space in one of Professor Sprout's greenhouses.

It was Friday before the Yule Ball ( _also the last day of term_ ). He could hear laughter as Felix, Hannah, Neville, Hermione and Draco decorated the lab with season appropriate decorations. Draco had been reluctant and sulky, but Felix had coerced him to join. There was a tree near the fireplace, colourful festive lights adorning the shelves of the bench spaces, red, green and white candles flickering in strategic places where they wouldn't be accidentally knocked over and tinsel draped casually over spaces where it would not pose as a fire hazard. There had been mistletoe, courtesy of Felix, but Severus had taken it down and said "Absolutely not" with the sneer that only he could manage. Evander snickered at the memory. They would all have lunch together the next day to celebrate their success.

He had another predicament too. He wasn't sure who he was going to bring to Yule, if anyone at all. He had managed to avoid being asked by Cho, Daphne and several other girls who he knew had wanted him to go with them. It's just too weird to go to balls with people almost fifteen years younger than him. He couldn't ask Tonks – he had told her way too many lies verbally and by omission. Everything would fall apart if she found out that he was still a Hogwarts student. It was funny, this life he led – if he tried hard enough, he could have any girl – but he's only had Ginny in any official capacity. There was Anastasia – Ana – too. Evander couldn't bear to think about her now – that train of thought usually led to the bottom of some potent Firewhiskey bottle back in 2013. There were too many regrets with that; she had died too young.

No, it's better to think about it in aromantic fashion. He would just have to find someone that wouldn't bore him for the evening. Heaving a sigh, Evander decided to join the group adding ornaments to the tree.

* * *

Late Saturday evening found Evander sitting in the Malfoy Manor drawing room. He mused that the dark purple walls of the room matched his dress shirt. He held a tumbler in his dominant hand, nursing a fine vintage of Firewhiskey. He was going to limit himself to just one tonight. It was weird, sitting here in Malfoy Manor for relaxation instead of business. Draco and Severus were playing billiards at a table at the far side of the room. It was a quiet game, punctuated by ejaculations of excitement or dismay depending on how well their shots were made. Draco was winning, Evander deduced.

From his peripheral vision, Evander could see Narcissa slyly stride up to the chair beside him and sit down. Her long blonde hair was done up in an elegant fashion, her dress robes grey (a similar shade to the robes that Evander had taken off after dinner) and her makeup lightly done. She took the seat beside him, but Evander kept his gaze fixed upon the portrait of some long-forgotten Malfoy hanging above the pool table. He had mixed feelings about Narcissa. That woman had saved his life at a critical point in the past, but she was definitely a Dark Arts sympathizer ( _tread with caution_ ) and someone who believed strongly in blood purity. At the core, Evander knew that she would do anything for her family – and from his experiences, that made her a powerful ally or enemy. This was the type of stuff that Voldemort underestimated – sentiment.

Evander took a nonchalant sip, feeling the Firewhiskey burn down pleasantly.

"I hear you have managed quite an impression on my son." Narcissa stated, her own fingers toying with the stem of an elegant wineglass.

Evander didn't reply. His finger calmly traced the cool nooks and crannies of the intricate patterns at the sides of his tumbler. In his time on this planet, he had made many notable impressions on a plethora of various individuals. He heard a roar of delight from Draco as he sunk his last ball and he could almost hear Severus' scowl. Narcissa's expression remained blank – as cool and haughty as Evander remembered.

She continued, "But are they the right impressions – for the heir of a noble family such as ours?"

The latter half of her question was a decrescendo, words meant only for him. Evander could parse the nuances: disproval of attempting to undo the years of pureblood doctrine and an attempt to intimidate.

"Lucius would disapprove," Narcissa was still speaking. "All this fraternizing with blood traitors, half breeds…"

Evander tuned out the rest of her sentence. He had forgotten how tedious this all was. It was boring. Dull.

"And the whispers…" Evander started listening again to what Narcissa was saying, "Things go in cycles, Murphy, and it will soon be time for darkness to take reign once more. I want Draco to be ready for the new era."

Ah… more foreshadowing. Evander knew something was coming. It was inevitable since his meeting with Dawson. That man's appearance was never a good omen. Aware of Draco's future character, he and Severus would do much to protect Draco. He realized that Narcissa was staring at him. Without hesitation, he shifted his eyes sharply towards her. Her blue eyes were pale as she attempted to stare him down.

A classic pureblood tactic for dominance. Evander had been on many staring matches such as this one. This was low of Narcissa to attempt to cow a fourteen year old boy. He smirked. What was ridiculous about all these traditions was that it offered a perfect opportunity for people like Dumbledore, Voldemort and even himself to perform Legilimency – they could all do it wandlessly. No wonder Voldemort had been able to bend so many traditional families onto his side in the past.

He fought the urge to laugh. Casually he slipped into Narcissa's mind with the finesse of a Muggle neurosurgeon – one delicate slice with the stealth of a mosquito on a warm summer's night. He wasn't interested in breaching all her defenses, just enough to gain an edge in the duel. He could tell that she was actually disconcerted by his previous behaviour. With great care, he projected a snapping sound in her mind that made her immediately swivel her head towards the billiards table. It was a new technique he had picked up while inhabiting the Horntail's mind. Draco and Severus had left the room at this point. As delicately as he entered, Evander left.

Narcissa's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Who are you?" She breathed.

"No one," Evander smiled dangerously. "Important." He added a strong emphasis on the last word. It almost sounded like a snarl.

It was the most cowed Evander had ever seen Narcissa in his life. Evander had learned long ago, that physicality was not necessary to dominate.

A silence fell. Not awkward, but contemplative. Evander stood up from his plush chair and picked up the bottle from the table in front. He poured himself another drink. He leaned back leisurely on the chair.

"I see." Narcissa started to speak again. There was nothing haughty or arrogant in her manner now. In fact it was cautious, tentative. "Draco is no fool."

"No," Evander said conversationally, "He is not."

"You will protect him from whatever fate has in store?" Narcissa asked.

"Certainly not on your behalf." Evander's voice was frigid. He inserted a dramatic pause. "For his own."

Narcissa nodded. "Lucius –"

"I can handle him." Evander looked at her again.

She immediately turned away.

* * *

Evander apparated himself to Diagon Alley. Draco had wanted to come with him, but this trip was for business. They had stayed the night over at Malfoy Manor and exchanged presents the following morning in front of a perfect large tree covered in silvery tinsel. After breakfast, Draco had dragged Evander outside and they had gone sledding on enchanted sledges over some enormous hills behind the Manor.

Now, he was heading for Gringotts.

Diagon was awfully busy today – full of wizards and witches desperate to get Christmas shopping done on the last weekend before the big day. With ease, Evander slipped through the crowds, stopping only to get a fresh treacle tart from his favourite bakery. Treat in hand, he soon found himself in the lobby of Gringotts. As he ate, he idly observed the throng of wizards, witches and goblins going about their business. There were other individuals standing around like Evander, presumably waiting for a friend or a relative to retrieve their money, or other bank business. His eyes caught sight of a Goblin walking casually towards him. One of Qwen's friends – Ancel.

Ancel was big for a goblin. He had curly black hair and his Gringotts attire was freshly pressed. He was also a financial consultant who had his own office.

"Murphy," He acknowledged. "I believe you have an appointment."

"I believe so." Evander nodded, "Lead away."

They left the reception area and the further they went, the ratio of goblins to humans increased. Ancel finally led Evander to a wooden door. Four knocks were given. The door swung open.

"Ah, Evander." Qwen was sitting at Ancel's desk. "I have what you were looking for."

"Do you?" Evander smiled as Ancel checked the hallway furtively before carefully closing the door.

"It was pretty straightforward really." Qwen grinned.

The goblin revealed a carefully wrapped box. There was a festive ribbon and bow festooned around it.

"You must tell us how you hypothetically planned to retrieve this at some point. I am sure it would bring a few laughs."

Evander quirked an eyebrow upwards – he knew Qwen was referring to his past attempt to retrieve the Hufflepuff Cup.

"Will you reveal your methods?" Evander looked at Qwen carefully. He knew Qwen had a much easier time robbing Gringotts than they did. There were no added security measures and not to mention Qwen knew how Gringotts worked inside and out.

It was Ancel who spoke. "Well, I can reassure you that I found the very best Goblin wrought reproduction I could get my hands on, and it currently sits where that used to sit." He gestured at the box.

That makes sense, Evander mused. Ancel loved antiques and would spend hours digging through auction houses, shops and wherever else hunters go for the perfect piece.

"Well, gentlemen, I am in deeply indebted to you." Evander bowed deeply.

Qwen waved a dismissive hand. "Nonsense, this was the most fun we've had in ages. Right, Ancel?"

Ancel nodded as Evander tucked the gift wrapped box in arm. Qwen disappeared off into the fireplace, while Ancel led Evander back outside to Diagon, chatting easily about politics, economics and other subjects.

* * *

 

Horcrux in hand, Evander apparated into the backyard of their house in Little Whinging. There was a small alcove framed by brick on the porch. Anti-apparition wards have been applied liberally to the entire property except for a metre-squared area within the alcove. Evander placed his free hand against the centre of the door. Familiar runes revealed themselves and he pushed the door open with his body weight. He walked into the kitchen and kicked the door closed. There was a kettle containing recently boiled water on the marble kitchen counter, and Evander made himself some tea. Cuppa in hand, Evander went down a shabby looking hallway and went down a series of stone steps to the basement – which had been converted into a makeshift Potions laboratory by Felix and Severus. Here, questionably legal and Felix's experimental Potions were kept.

The basement was dark. The floor was stone, like the stairs. The room was sparsely furnished – many things that they had ordered hadn't yet arrived such as a proper lab bench. Evander could make out Severus standing behind Felix. Severus was wearing a protective dark lab coat over his well-worn black robes. His arms were crossed, and his wand was held out. The familiar small gold cauldron was in service again as Felix – who donned a resistant lab coat, a face shield and thick dragonhide gloves – carefully stirred his mixture. He had handful of beans in the other hand and was carefully dropping them in every ten seconds or so.

Evander set the gift wrapped box on one of the rickety old tables that stood at the centre of the room. He pulled out a chair and proceeded to watch Felix brew a new variant of the Essence of Regret. He sipped his tea. He removed his cloak and draped it over the back of the chair. It took another hour before Felix was finished. The potion was carefully decanted, and both Felix and Severus cleared the space, carefully vanishing any toxic residue that had been left behind.

"I've got a present for us." Evander finally spoke.

Both Felix and Severus turned to look at him.

Evander pointed to the festively wrapped box. "Felix, I know you were wondering how you were going to test the potency of your new potion, so I brought something that could serve as a test. Now, before I open it," Evander reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a Basilisk fang that was carefully rolled up with a thick red cloth.

Felix stared at Evander. He had put the pieces together in a few seconds. "Are you giving us a horcrux for Christmas?"

Severus actually laughed. It was more of a guffaw.

Evander grabbed the flask containing the new batch of Essence of Regret. He grabbed a slender knife that Felix had used earlier for brewing. With great care, he sliced away the wrapping paper and ribbons. A rather plain wooden box was revealed. Evander made a face, realizing that his prize was encased in a traditional Goblin puzzle-box. He closed his eyes and used his fingers to carefully feel the well-sanded surfaces of the box. When he felt an imperfection of the smooth surface, Evander pushed and pulled at the wood. A wooden panel slid out, revealing the small golden cup. He placed a finger on the cup, and instantly felt a strange sensation overtake him. Something malevolent, something that seemed to want to bring out the worst in him – and yes – Evander can be destructive.

"You are such an idiot." Felix suddenly burst into action after reading the series of expressions that crossed Evander's face.

Evander felt his arm being pulled away, losing contact with the cup. He shivered. Evander knew that soul fragments when kept in non-living vessels liked to latch onto whatever living being it was in contact with. Felix put on his thick dragonhide gloves and removed the cup from the box. He dropped the cup into a large glass beaker. Thinking for a moment, Felix put back on the face shield that he had used for brewing earlier. With great caution he tipped the Essence of Regret into the beaker. A loud hissing noise issued. As the Potion worked at the horcrux, a terrifying scream – rather like the screams of someone being tortured by Cruciatus – increased in pitch and intensity, causing all three to wince.

The climax was an explosion. Bits and pieces of the cup rained down everywhere outside the beaker. The beaker – charmed supposedly indestructible – had a large crack in it.

Severus frowned at the beaker, "I am going to make some inquiries about the warranties that exist on unbreakable glassware. This is absolutely unacceptable."

"I don't think we can try this on living horcruxes yet," Evander commented to Felix.

"No, I don't think so." Felix agreed, "Not yet anyways. But I am sure we will get there."

* * *

"Are you going to Yule?" Evander asked Luna as he sat down beside her on the hearth of the fireplace in the Ravenclaw Common Room.

Luna, who had been deep in thought, turned to look at Evander. She unconsciously brushed her wavy blonde hair with a finger. "No – I mean no one has asked me to go – and I am –"

"Go with me then." Evander interrupted. "I know you really want to go, Luna."

Luna closed her eyes, puzzling over the sequence of events. As term was over, she was dressed in a dazzling set of purple robes. A purple narcissus with a creamy white inside was pinned in her hair. She was barefoot.

She opened her eyes again. "But why? The dragon does not go with the wallflowers."

Evander sighed. Luna was as always perceptive. "This dragon does not care much for social conventions. You want to go to Yule; I don't want to get sentimentally involved with anyone – I want to go with a friend. And whoever considers you a wallflower are dunderheads."

"I don't like dancing." Luna warned.

"That's fine." Evander smiled. He pulled out a stack of parchments from his robe pockets, and casually rifled through them. "We can go soak up the atmosphere and we can check out the Nargle infestations."

"Wait, Evander –" Luna's hand shot forward and gripped a parchment that Evander had passed by, "What is that?"

Evander examined the parchment that Luna had snatched. On it was an unfinished runic construct drawn in regular black ink. It was a hexagon with a runic character written on every other vertex. It was the construct he had started drawing in Severus' chambers after the night he possessed that bloody dragon. It was his derivation of time travel – or at least as far as he had gotten.

"Runic construct –" Evander started to explain.

"I've seen it before…" Luna seemed to have zoned out. She lightly traced the swirls that were inscribed within the hexagon. "Counter-clockwise…" She murmured. "But it's also different too."

Evander watched her stare at the construct for what seemed like ages. Luna's eyes suddenly brightened, "Oh, of course, the point here," Luna pointed to the vertex that was between the Runes 'time' and 'reversal', "Is tucked inside, so it looks like a pentagon."

He snatched back the parchment from Luna's grasp. Evander lightly fingered the vertex in question. There was a familiar tingling sensation in his dominant arm that usually accompanied him when he was getting close to figuring something out. Quickly, Evander pulled out a self-inking quill from a pocket and carefully drew lightly the folded vertex. He drew a line to transform his hexagram into a pentagram. He added some other features to the construct – it was looking more and more like a construct that he had found in Dawson's mind. How interesting… Evander mused. But there was no way Dawson did this on his own – there must be someone who is equal or greater than Evander when it came to a mastery of Runes. And there seriously were not many of those around. No, there must be a companion. And in his experience, nature had a predilection for symmetry. And this applied to magic as well – Xander's Law. It would make sense for the magic to send him and Felix back here as a counterbalance to Dawson and whoever his counterpart was. Why him and Felix? Evander had guesses, but they were more gut feelings more than anything.

Luna's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "That looks more like it now." There was a hesitation before she whispered to him, "My mum had it – that construct." There was another pause while Luna looked like she was lost in daydreams. "I remember – I was no more than four or five – I snuck into the basement – where I was not allowed to go. My mum – she was an Unspeakable – had a lab down there where she did all sorts of experiments in runes, potions – anything you can think of. I wandered around. I saw that runic construct on a parchment. I remember I grabbed it and looked at it. And that was when I got caught by mum – she was furious. Although, she was more furious because I managed to sneak in. It was one of my last most vivid memories of her – because her cauldron exploded a few months later."

Evander knew about that explosions incident. He listened as Luna continued, "My dad – he destroyed all of my mum's rune work and gave away everything in her lab to the Ministry."

"I am so sorry, Luna." Evander said sincerely. He placed his hand on Luna's shoulder sympathetically. He had never heard this story from Luna in the future.

"I am sorry too." Luna replied back. "Sorry that I won't have a life with her in the present. But I will see her again when I pass the Veil." She looked at Evander, "I am glad I told someone about this."

"I am glad you feel comfortable enough to."

Evander was grateful for these tidbits of information. There were still many puzzle pieces that he was missing, but at least now he could start thinking about collecting those missing pieces.


	21. Intruders at Yule

Felix paced nervously near the barrels which hid the Hufflepuff common room. He fidgeted with the sleeves of his modern-cut charcoal dress robes, retied his tie and spent the remainder fretting at his appearance in the reflection of some glass. Around him, other Hufflepuffs and their dates were pairing up, chatting and heading out to the Great Hall where the festivities were set to begin. _This never gets easier…_ Felix mused. He and Hannah had gone out to many functions together in the future past, but this was their first as a couple in the present. It wasn’t just nerves that were gnawing internally, but genuine worry. He and Evander had discussed the possibility that something may happen tonight, even though it was uneventful in the first iteration. A simple butterfly effect, or the magicks unleashed from whatever triggered the whole time-travel shenanigan could drastically change history – perhaps for the worse.

“Knut for your thoughts?”

Felix turned.

“You… look stunning… as always,” Felix stammered. Hannah was decked out in a creamy set of dress robes, which were well tailored to fit her body. She had braided her hair, and there was a slight flush of her cheeks that Felix found endearing.

“You are not so bad yourself, Mr. Suave and Handsome.” Hannah smiled. Felix thought he might as well die happy at this moment. He gently reached for Hannah’s hand.

“Shall we?” Felix had no wish to unburden his worries. Tonight should be a happy and carefree night for at least one of them. Felix could do all the worrying himself.

Things with Hannah always felt so natural. Felix thought. Honestly, he remembered nothing of what happened in the first Yule Ball he attended – not even his date. After the opening rituals, where all the Champions and their dates had been presented, he and Hannah whirled away a bit on the dance floor. Hannah was super hesitant at first, but Felix soon was leading her with ease and a lightness that he had not felt in so long. He knew all the traditional pureblood dances, but he was fond of Muggle dance as well. After an exuberant number curtesy of the Weird Sisters, Felix and Hannah broke apart.

“Quite a workout you got going there.” Evander remarked from behind.

Evander was wearing jet black robes with a matte finish. There were a few twinkling luminous stars charmed on his sleeves and the bottom half of the robes – a number subtle enough to break the monotony of black, but not enough to distract. The stars moved as Evander moved. He had a grey waistcoat tucked under, and a bow tie in the similar matte black of his robes. Beside him was Luna, who was busy taking in everything around her. She wore dress robes of bright yellow, with earrings that were in the shape of little hummingbirds whirling madly. There were yellow star-shaped flowers in her hair.

“It’s fun though.” Felix found himself justifying, “You should give it a go.”

Evander chuckled, “Luna doesn’t dance.”

“He’s right.” Luna nodded. “We’ve been blending in with the shadows.”

“It’s been fun watching Professor Snape deducting points left and right.” Evander said with great amusement. “He’s in rare form today.”

“You say that as if it’s a good thing.” Hannah observed, while Felix laughed.

“Gryffindor is winning.” Luna added.

“Do you think we can eat soon?” Felix asked. He was getting hungry.

“We should grab a table.” Evander pointed to the round tables adorned with their fancy tablecloths, cutlery and flowery centrepieces.

“Then we can go to the rosebushes.” Hannah winked at Felix. “I’ve heard good things about them from the upper years!”

Felix felt like he was going to spontaneously combust.

“I did hear some great expletives from Snape about those.” Evander said with a grin, “Even some that I didn’t know.

“We should go too,” Luna looked excitedly at Evander, “I want to see if the Nargles prefer rosebushes or mistletoe.”

“A great scientific expedition!” Evander exclaimed, “I look forward to it.”

* * *

The rosebushes made Felix feel like a teenager again – or rather, more like his biological age. The bushes could hold a surprising number of amorous students. Wisely, Felix pulled Hannah to the bushes located in the opposite direction of a scowling Severus.

“Five points from Ravenclaw and two points from Slytherin, Ms. Li and Mr. Nott.”

“Merlin, he’s miserable.” Hannah whispered to Felix. “Sometimes I think he just needs…”

“Shush…” Felix grimaced, “I do not need these ideas.”

Hannah laughed. Felix savoured. They were in a discreet corner of the garden. Felix had cast a strong warming charm, while snow gently drifted from the skies above. Colourful enchanted lights hidden in the bushes illuminated their surroundings.

“I know this is soon.” Felix found himself whispering to Hannah in the shadows of the shrubbery, “But you have come to mean a lot to me.”

There was a pause. There was rustles in the bushes punctuating the silence. Hannah smiled – rather similarly to when Felix had whispered sweet-nothings in the years of the future past.

“You are such a sap.” Hannah smiled larger. “You mean a lot to me too.”

The two of them leaned towards each other. Snow continued to drift down slowly – leisurely. Felix brushed his forehead against hers. Hannah leaned further and kissed him on the lips. A quick one – chaste.

They both separated.

“I wish this can last forever.” Felix said dreamily.

There was a loud noise from the bushes, and a dark blur bounded in front of Felix and disappeared into the adjacent flora.

“The fuck was that?” Felix whispered, his voice punctuated the syllables harshly. Hannah let out a little yelp in fright.

Hannah clung onto Felix.

Felix drew his wand from his holster.

“It was an animal of some sort.” Hannah whispered.

“Shh...” Felix replied. “Let’s follow it.”

Before they emerged from the last bush in the direction the blur went, Felix saw the dark creature lounging on a rock near the castle’s Entrance. Felix could see in the dark that it was a large cat. Carefully, he aimed his wand at the creature and muttered a basic Tracking spell.

“What’s going on?” Hannah whispered urgently.

“I don’t know.” Felix whispered back, “But, I don’t like it.”

“It’s just a cat.” Hannah replied.

“I hope so.” Felix watched as the cat seemed to stretch itself. In the moonlight, it appeared thin and sleek.

“Someone’s pet?” Hannah asked.

“Unlikely…” Felix muttered back. He then said thoughtfully, “It’s too cold outside, for someone to let their pet out.”

 “It’s going.” Hannah noted, pointing in the direction that it bounded.

Felix watched the cat leap from its perch. In the shadows, hugging the stone walls of the castle, it headed to the Entrance. Other students were out, but no one noticed the feline stealthily move across the grounds.

“Let’s behave normally.” Felix whispered. “Take my arm and we will head towards the Great Hall.”

Hannah did as she was told. Felix felt comforted with Hannah’s arm around his, and they slowly made their way to the entrance. Mirth surrounded them as they entered the Entrance Hall; Yuletide décor in the form of Christmas trees and other wintry essentials graced the space. Enchanted snow fell lightly from the skies, feeling no different than the snow from the outside.

“ _Point the way!_ ” Felix whispered to his wand when they reached an intersection.

The wand twitched, and its tip pointed to the direction leading to a long corridor. Felix repeated the procedure every time they reached a fork.

“I don’t like this.” Felix muttered. “And I think I know where we are going.”

“Where, Felix?” Hannah whispered back, “And is it dangerous?”

“I wish not.” Felix replied. “I would never forgive myself if I put you in any danger.”

“We should tell someone where we are going.” Hannah said with seriousness.

Felix nodded. “ _Expecto Patronum!_ ”

Felix’s falcon left his wand and flew back the way they came.

“I messaged Evander.” Felix said as they continued walking. He stopped, and he said seriously, “You don’t need to come with me. It might be dangerous.”

“Felix Wedgewood…” Hannah started to look furious, “If you think I am letting you go there alone, you’ve thought wrong.”

Felix held up his hands in surrender.

“And where are we going?” The drawl of Draco’s voice made them both turn around.

“I thought you weren’t going to Yule,” Felix looked pointedly at Draco – clad in his regular robes of grey.

“I got kicked out of the lab.” Draco said sadly, “Uncle Severus said that if he had to suffer, so did I.”

“So, instead, you are wandering around the upper floor corridors,” Hannah remarked amusedly.

Draco spread his arms out. “Figured I could find some secret passageway or something.”

“Did you see a strange cat go by?” Felix asked seriously.

Draco froze, and looked thoughtful. After a moment, he said, “I may have saw something move in the passageway over there.”

“Shit,” Felix swore, “Isn’t that where Barnabas the Barmy is?”

Draco nodded.

“I got to go,” Felix whispered harshly.

“No, we’ve got to go,” Hannah said insistently, “You will have to _Stupefy_ me to stop me.”

“But –“ Felix began to protest.

“Aren’t we wasting time here?” Draco was already heading for the tapestry.

“Fine,” Felix acquiesced. “But if I tell you both to run and hide – you better listen. Swear it!”

Both Hannah and Draco looked at each other. They slowly nodded.

Felix had a theory. He and Evander had discussed potential scenarios many times. It was quite possible that someone – maybe Dawson, would be interested in collecting all of Voldemort’s horcruxes before he came back into power. It would be good leverage for any wizard or witch attempting to control the _Dark Side_. It was possible that these individuals could be from their future time. And therefore, very dangerous. Ideally, he would rather Evander be with him than Hannah and Draco – but he knew that Hannah would never forgive him if he tried something like knocking them both out.

Felix paced the passageway three times. The door to the Room of Lost Things came into view.

“Merlin,” Draco whispered in surprise, “I did find a secret after all.”

“One second,” Felix interrupted as Draco attempted to reach for the door.

Felix took his wand and muttered some incantations. He tapped Hannah, himself and Draco in turn. A powerful cloaking charm – rendering them invisible to all the senses. He could see an outline of both Draco and Hannah.

“Woah,” Draco whispered in awe. “This is –“

Felix shushed him. “We are going in now.”

Felix opened the door carefully. The place looked like just as Felix and Evander had visited it last. It was quiet. Draco and Hannah were busy taking in everything – all the junk that had been lost in Hogwarts since who knows when. After a few minutes, Felix could hear irregular noises. He grabbed both Draco and Hannah and hid behind a marble statue of some ancient wizard with a long beard that trailed to the floor. There were two people hunting amongst the trash and treasures of the room. They both wore robes of white, and a mask that reminded Felix of the Death Eaters.

“Where is it?” A dark voice issued from the individual with a large frame. “He said it would be easy to find.”

“I don’t see it,” A higher pitched voice – most likely female. “Could he be wrong?”

_Who is he?_ Felix wondered.

“ _Accio horcrux!”_ The man cried out, waving his wand energetically.

Nothing happened.

“You fool.” The possibly female hissed, “You can’t summon one of those!”

Felix had to hold his laughter. Draco and Hannah looked perplexed.

“It didn’t hurt to try – didn’t it?” The possibly male said, “Bloody hell, it isn’t anywhere!”

“We can’t go back empty handed!” The probable female sounded partially distraught.

“No, you are right.” The other replied, “He won’t be happy.”

“That’s an understatement.” The probable female sounded bitter.

“I have an idea.” The possible male said after a few moments of deep thought. He pointed his wand to a piece of nearby rubbish. It was immediately transfigured into a replica of Ravenclaw’s diadem.

“You really are a fool, Amyas,” The probable female was disgusted, “He’s going to see through that in five seconds.”

“Do you have a better idea, my dear?” Amyas sounded sarcastic. He picked up the false diadem.

“Of course, I do,” The possible female pulled out her wand from her sleeve. “You see that vanishing cabinet over there?”

“Yes,” Amyas looked perplexed.

“It’s broken.” The possible female stated.

“And?” Amyas did not look any bit more enlightened.

“And… You, _my dear_ , are going to fix it.” The possible female continued.

Amyas took a bit to digest what he heard.

“Brilliant, Kat – just brilliant,” Amyas exclaimed, “He shall be happy about this.”

“He can look for it himself,” Kat replied, “At his leisure.”

“Genius,” Amyas was excited. He dashed over to the vanishing cabinet and began to observe it carefully.

Draco nudged Felix. He looked as if he wanted to tell him something. Felix shushed him.

“I can fix this.” Amyas said after a careful examination.

“Yes, you can fix this,” Kat sounded impatient.

Just as Amyas was going to wave his wand, a sudden jet of red light emerged from somewhere and smacked into him. He crumpled to the ground, while Kat was immediately on the alert.

“There’s someone here!” She exclaimed.

There was another jet of red light, but Kat nimbly dodged it. “Come out, come out, where ever you are?” She cried and pointed her wand in several directions, “ _Revelio! Revelio! Revelio!_ ”

Felix pulled Hannah and Draco out of her spell range. He had no idea who was firing the Stunning spells, although, it was likely Evander. And in fact, Evander appeared – his cloaking magic was removed by her spell.

“We can’t have that.” Evander said amicably, “In fact – it was a mistake.”

“What is a mistake?” Kat asked. Mockingly she said, “A mistake is not staying at Yule, like the rest of your little friends.”

Evander pretended he didn’t even hear her threats. He walked closer to her, fearlessly. He lazily pointed at the cabinet with his wand. It exploded into smithereens. Kat had to jump out of the way. Even then, some of the shrapnel had gotten onto her. She let out a shriek of pain.

“A mistake, _my dear Kat_ , is underestimating me.” Evander said smoothly. “Now tell me, who is _him_?”

“None of your business!” She spat.

“And what is the diadem?” Evander asked curiously.

“Ditto,” She growled.

“You know…” Evander said invitingly, “I might be able to help you. _Accio diadem_!”

The fake diadem that Amyas had made earlier flew into Evander’s hand.

“You are a fool.” Kat hissed, “No one can help me.”

A jet of purple light came from Kat’s wand, and Evander stepped to the side. She fired several curses and spells at Evander, who simply dodged away or with a simple flick of his wand deflected the magic away. Felix dragged Hannah and Draco further away – away from the flying magic.

“We should help him,” Draco whispered urgently.

“No,” Felix whispered. “My job is to keep you guys safe. Evander can take her.”

Kat aimed another spell at Evander, Evander blocked it with a large table and sent it smashing into her. She screamed in partial agony, and whatever one could make out from the incoherent noise were profanities. Evander kept his wand trained on the white-robed woman. The din eventually died down.

“Do you have anything to say?” Evander said levelly.

“None to you,” She snapped, “You should keep your nose out of things that don’t matter to you.”

Evander simply looked at her. He slowly raised an expressive eyebrow.

“You are young and foolish – like I was.” Kat continued, “Stay out of what the grown-ups are playing for.”

Felix noticed that as Evander was talking nonsense, that the unconscious Amyas was slowly being slid towards Evander. There were wooden splinters stuck in his body from the previous explosion.

“Ah…” Evander was just simply wasting time. “Everything matters to me.”

“I am giving you one last warning!” Kat hissed. She waved her wand and made the destroyed table vanish. “Or you will regret it!”

“I think, in this situation – I have all the leverage.” Evander smiled.

“I don’t think so.” Kat said confidently.

“I know why you are here.” Evander lowered his wand. “I know who your master is. And…” Evander trailed off. He looked almost pitifully at her. “I feel sorry for you. For he does not take failure kindly.”

“I will not fail!” Kat hissed. “I haven’t failed him yet –“

“Well, you certainly aren’t going to find what you are looking for here.” Evander said nonchalantly.

“It’s somewhere in this room!” She was becoming hysterical. “I can feel it calling for me!”

Evander grinned.

Felix grabbed his charges. “We need to get out of here!”

“But..!” Draco tried to resist Felix’s tug but was pulled towards the direction of the door.

A terrible incantation escaped Kat’s mouth, just as Evander sent out golden jets of light that encircled Kat and bound her tight in a variant of a body-bind curse.

“We got to run, now!” Felix urged Draco and Hannah towards the door as enormous jets of fire engulfed the room.

“Fiendfyre…!” Draco looked dumbfounded.

“Figures,” Felix muttered darkly. _What destroys the room the first time around, happens again the second time._

The three of them leapt over debris, while Felix blasted apart all the furniture and statues blocking their way on their mad dash towards the door.

“What about Evander?” Hannah asked as Draco had his hand on the door handle.

“He will be fine,” Felix said grimly. “He always is.”

* * *

“But why did she set that fire?” Draco asked on the way down.

“Let’s not talk about that here.” Felix said sternly, “We don’t know what’s going on, and there’s no need to spread information.”

“I hope Evander is alright,” Hannah said worriedly.

Felix didn’t say anything else as they descended the steps. The Yule Ball was still going on full-tilt downstairs, but whatever festive mood that he had felt before was all gone. His fears had come true – and he hoped Evander would be okay. Felix grabbed Hannah’s hand tightly when they reached the Great Hall.

“You didn’t need to see that.” Felix whispered. “I am sorry. I should have never brought you in there.”

Hannah shook her head fiercely. “No, I made you –“

“We made you,” Draco added.

“Hannah,” Felix said wistfully, “I know it –“

“Felix!” Hannah exclaimed, “You are trying to be noble, but you don’t need to. We are here to help each other. If anything – this night will always be memorable.”

“In all the wrong ways,” Felix said forlornly, “You shouldn’t date me –“

“Felix…” Hannah said fiercely, “It’s not your choice – it’s mine.”

All Felix could do is nod.

Draco added helpfully, “Don’t be an idiot.”

“And what is going on here?” Severus Snape, in all his black dress-robed glory, walked up towards them.

“We need to talk,” Felix said seriously. “But not now, because –“

“Mr. Malfoy,” Everyone turned around to see Professor McGonagall in her traditional tartar pattern dress robes. “I am glad to see you join us – although I wasn’t expecting such attire from you.”

“Are you going to take points off, professor?” Draco inquired rather seriously. He looked down ashamedly at his regular grey robes.

Felix had no idea what to do as he watched the flow of exchanges between Severus and Minerva. He needed to go back to the Room of Lost Things, but without arousing suspicion. He was surprised that the school hadn’t wards for intruders – but _Animagi_ had snuck into Hogwarts in the past. There were at least three notable cases that came to mind.

“Mr. Wedgewood,” Minerva turned to face him, “It’s unusual to see you so at unease.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Something has happened.”

“We need to go to the upper floors.” Felix finally said, “But we can’t make a big deal out of it.”

“Lead us there.” Severus said seriously.

“I will take care of the ‘can’t make a big deal out of it’ part.” Minerva pulled out her wand and waved it in a complex fashion.

“A derivative of the _Notice-me-Not_.” Felix observed. “Never seen that one before…”

“Filius taught me that one.” Minerva said briskly as Felix started leading everyone the way back they came. “It only really falls apart if there’s someone looking intently for us.”

“Speaking of _Notice-me-Not_ charms,” Severus started saying on the staircase, “What is that magic that Evander does when he snaps his fingers? I can never hear anything properly afterwards.”

“I think it’s his secret to divulge,” Felix said, “I don’t know much about it otherwise.” Felix was being honest. There were a lot of magical things that Evander could do that he could not. Evander had taught him many things over the course of the time they had been together, but Evander was not the type of person who shared everything.

“It reminds me of something I’ve done myself,” Severus mused.

Felix didn’t know if he made the right choice in leading everyone back to the Room of Requirement. Before anyone could remark on the seemingly door-less space that they stopped at, Felix paced around, thinking. The door appeared.

First Felix cautiously placed his hand on the handle. It was not hot to the touch. He then opened the door, expecting everything to be in ashes. The debris that he had left was still there.

“Evander?” Felix entered the room, “Where are you, Evander?’

Minerva and Severus followed him, both curiously observing the room’s contents. Draco and Hannah followed closely after. Felix found Evander sitting down cross legged beside the unconscious Amyas, whose injuries appeared to have been treated. He was bound with the golden coils that wrapped around his entire body. Evander was staring intensely at a section of area that was roped off with a velvet rope, rather like those seen in Muggle theatres. Felix was horrified by its contents – remaining Fiendfyre burning bright.

“Mr. Murphy,” Severus started, “Should you not extinguish that?”

“I was trying to remember the counter.” Evander admitted, “I don’t remember everything, you know.”

“It’s this.” Felix swished his wand in a complicated fashion, “But I find that difficult to believe…”

The flames vanished, leaving a blackened area covered with ashes. There were a few radiating streaks that appeared to have left the perimeter that Evander had created.

“Ashwinders…” Severus observed, “This fire has burned for a long time – maybe half an hour.” He then asked sternly, “What is going on here?”

“I have no idea.” Evander said. “Should we talk here?”

“It’s as good as any other place.” Minerva observed. “But I have many questions that I need answered, Evander. If it were any other student with a _Stunned_ individual and involved with such Dark Magic – I would be a lot more difficult.”

“Should Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Abbott leave?” Severus asked.

“Godfather – no!” Draco said urgently, “We were witnesses!”

“Where is Kat?” Hannah asked.

Evander’s nonchalant expression hardened a bit. “She’s dead.”

“Who is Kat?” Minerva asked, “And, why… is she dead?”

“I think,” Severus interrupted, “We need to start from the beginning.”

“I think,” Evander started, “We need to make a few decisions. We should have this discussion tomorrow – maybe in Severus’ quarters, or even here.  I need some time to think and get my head around everything. This is a handy room, although I don’t know if the Fiendfyre damaged it enough for it to malfunction. We need to figure out what are we going to do with Amyas – this man over here. He’s working for someone, and it is not You-Know-Who. There’s a new power determined to get their finger in some pies, and we should probably figure out what they are up to. Kat was Amyas’ partner in crime. I tried to talk her down, but she ended up setting the Fiendfyre. I don’t think she could control it well. I had to take control, but the fire had burnt her to ashes before I could stop them.”

“But how did they get in?” Minerva asked, “We do have wards.”

“As animals.” Felix said. “There was a dark coloured cat. And I don’t know who the other one came as. I don’t even know if they were Animagi.”

Minerva shook her head.

“Do we tell Albus?” Severus asked Minerva.

“I don’t know.” Minerva said after a moment.


End file.
